Born To Be
by xfidelity
Summary: Theo was once the slave of Davy Jones's sons, one of whom she murdered: the other is seeking revenge. A bittersweet version of Dead Mans Chest.
1. Theo

**Hello there. I usually have a lot to say before chapters but I'm blank on ideas today. Just review at the end, please insert smiley here**

**Suddenly remembers something It took me a while to decide whether I want this story to happen during DMC or if I should just make up my own thing. I've decided this is during DMC so I have an idea on what needs to be laid down. **

**Even I know the story is pretty dry in the beginning: but it's going to get really good.**

**Disclaimer: I own the _Tail on Dawn_ and Theo. No touchy insert smiley here.**

Captain Jack Sparrow had been just about everywhere. But out of all of those fascinating places there were two places that he liked best.

One of them was Singapore. Many good times there. Some of those beautiful memories had to do with ripping off many, many corsets…but let's not rush into that.

And of course, there was Tortuga: which is where our story begins.

Jack sat at an old, broken down wood bar table. He was alone for a change. His crew was off to God knows where. Three empty glasses that were once filled with golden rum surrounded him like trophies, showing off his pride and drunkenness. A lovely, mellow sensation filled his bones, smoothing out like molasses and causing a sweet, buzzing feeling in his veins. Jack was humming to himself lazily, playing with the beads in his beard.

Jack had just gone through a very long, boring day: trying to find new crew members for the Pearl wasn't very easy. Gibb's latest update was that four men had signed in. Pathetic. It wasn't making Jack very happy. So, for now, Jack just wanted to sit in his chair, drink his rum, and feel happy. Instead he felt weak and tired, useless and slow moving. Jack figured it was a superb time of day to get terribly drunk, so Jack planned to sit at his table and just keep the drinks coming. Jack noticed that the room had gotten a little louder to him, the voices becoming sort of muffled. He took a lazy sip of the rum and sighed.

_Booooring. _

Jack look around the room curiously, bored with the sight of the inside of his empty glasses. The normal crowd had assembled in the bar: dirty pirates, wenches, young and old sailors, and a random assortment of others. The wenches starred at him, batting their eyelashes and smiling at him suggestively. Being the dashing, polite man he was, he smiled back politely.

Jack's eyes continued to wander. He was always extra curious when he was drunk: noticing things he had never seen before. The patterns of the wood floor, the way his rum would swish around in his glass, and how strange it felt to pass out in slow motion.

Suddenly, his dark eyes settled on something: _someone._

He was observing a young girl, no older then 20-something, who was sitting across the room with grey smoke evaporating from the table she sat at. The smoke floated around her, then floated to the ceiling. Jack squinted at the girl, trying to make out her features through the smoke. A wench came up to the table and started to fan the smoke away, cursing at the girl and the other men at the table for making the bar smell. Jack relaxed his eyes as the girl became visible.

The girl was holding cards tightly and her eyes narrowed at the poker opponents, who were a group of younger pirates no older then thirty or so. In the center of the table was a huge stack of pieces of eight and glasses of rum. Jack watched the poker game intently, as the girl puckered her lips and raised her eyebrows when she glanced down at her cards. Suddenly, the girl looked up at Jack. His gaze locked onto hers. Jack bravely held out, continuing to look at her. She backed off and looked back down at her cards, her face slowly smoothing out. The other poker players tensed and moved around in their seats. Jack could tell the girl was making the men nervous.

The girl then placed her cards on the table, grinning ear to ear. She'd won. A large amount of groans and table banging erupted from the poker table. Jack smirked and tapped his temples. The girl rolled her shoulders back casually and pulled at the tri cornered hat she had on her head, shoving the coins into the pockets of her black breeches.

Jack liked her hat… remind him of his hat.

The girl walked away from the table of cursing men who had now began to whisper amongst themselves. Jack frowned. He began to sense trouble. But before he could even take another sip of his rum, the mysterious girl had walked over to him, and sat down at Jack's table across from him. Jack cleared his throat, taking in her scent of smoke, marula, and sandalwood. The girl propped her elbows up on the table and looked at Jack blankly.

"Can I help you lass?" Jack asked smoothly. The girl nodded and crossed her legs.

"Pardon my rude entrance, but, you see: I have a question for you sir." The girl asked. Jack kept on taking in details of this girl, observing the confidence and smoothness in her tone.

"Yes, luv?" Jack said, leaning in towards the table. The girl leaned it towards Jack, smirking. She got close to his face and looked him in the eye.

"I'm _not_ blind. You've been staring at me all night. Is there something that is intriguing you?" the girl asked slyly.

_Bugger._

The burn of being caught in the act went straight to Jack's cheeks, which were now becoming pink with embarrassment.

He observed the girl once again, respectfully. Raven black hair, long and straight, matching her dark, almost black, almond shaped eyes. Her skin was milky and smooth but sun-kissed with smudges of dirt and blood on her cheeks. Her eyes were surrounded by black kohl, much like Jack's, except hers looked much more carefully rubbed in. Full red lips, a thin waist and long gracious legs paired with a curvy mature figure in all the right places. In his opinion, he had a good reason to be staring.

The girl sighed.

"'Scuse me, I'd prefer if you removed your greedy lil' eyes off of me." The girl said coolly. Jack cleared his throat, not knowing really what to say.

She was beautiful: gorgeous more like it.

_Say something clever. _Jack thought. He tapped his chin.

He was very tired and very drunk and didn't feel prepared to mess with such a girl. He was surprised and proud of himself: will all of the rum in his system, he thought he'd he trying to stick his tongue down her throat already. But here she was, her ass sitting in the chair across from his, making _him_ feel embarrassed. It was all very new to him.

A pathetic, boring, "Sorry" was all Jack could muster. The girl threw her head back and laughed.

"Have a frightened the infamous _Captain_ Jack Sparrow?" The girl asked, grinning. Jack's ears perked up as his entire mood changed once again. He was bored no more. And he _loved_ how she said his name.

"You've heard of me, luv?" Jack asked, as he tried to make himself appear composed. The girl shrugged, smirking.

"Your name is a popular one around here." She said, throwing her hair back casually, fixing her hat. Jack caught sight of eight ear piercings on her left ear. His eyes widened: _eight piercings_? This girl was more daring then he thought. He liked it.

"What do they call you luv?" Jack asked her, taking a sip of his rum. Her dark eyes flickered.

"Theo: Theo is what I get most." She said smoothly. Jack grinned. He liked that. It had a nice ring to it.

"So, Theo: what's a girl like you doing here?" Jack asked, taking a sip from his rum. Theo chuckled.

"Keeping myself busy, staying in trouble, the usual. For now, I just want some quiet time, but that's hard to do when you're anywhere in Tortuga, aye?" Theo said, snapping her fingers at the barman to pass her a rum.

"And which ship are you with?" Jack asked carefully, playing with his moustache. Theo moved around in her seat uncomfortably, eyeing the floor.

"_God Speed_: we're restocking." She said quickly. Jack nodded, not knowing if that was the real truth. Theo got her rum, which she drank at light speed, and then returned her gaze to Jack.

"Say…are you any good at poker, Captain Sparrow?" Theo asked, taking a deck of cards out of her pocket. She flipped the deck around in her hands, shuffling them expertly.

"You just destroyed those sea dogs over there: honestly doubt I'd win if I were up against ye." Jack said honestly. Theo smiled warmly. She moved her chair closer to Jacks, settling her elbows on the table. The two talked for a while, exchanging stories and laughing. Jack even stopped with the rum and traded it for Theo's stories of all of the recent ship raids that had occurred.

Jack liked this: the girl was sweet, but rough. She wasn't too flirtatious and had a good heart. She was on the wild side but kept her sweet composure.

Theo was enjoying it also: Jack was funny and charming, and he had _the_ sexiest voice she had ever heard.

Before Jack could finish telling Theo about why he was in Tortuga tonight, a group of men assembled around the table, looking at Theo coldly. It was the group of men she had beat in the poker game an hour ago. Theo sighed and turned to them.

"Can't you see Mr. Sparrow and I are in deep conversation?" Theo snapped. One of the men stepped forward towards Theo. Jack saw her muscles tense as her face smoothed out.

"You'd better run." The man said quietly. Jack shivered as he said that. He didn't like the sound of it. Theo swallowed and narrowed her eyes.

"_Don't_ threaten me." Theo said coldly. Jack watched, intrigued. The man stepped closer as Theo stood up.

"He knows you're here." The man said quietly, an evil grin spreading across his face. Theo's expression changed completely: from confidence to terror.

"You told him…" Theo said, her eyes wide and her face full of shock and fear.

"He's commin' for ye _right now_." The man said. Theo started to breath heavily and her fists clenched. Suddenly, she threw a hard punch right at the man's jaw, as three gold teeth went flying from his bloody mouth.

"You_ bastard_." Theo hissed.

Everyone in the bar went quiet. Some greedy pirates ran forward to steal the bloody golden teeth that had landed on the floor. Suddenly, Jack went flying off his chair as the man's limp body fell on top of him. Theo had thrown the man and accidentally hit Jack.

Jack shook his head, took a sip of his rum, and jumped off the floor as Theo grabbed the bleeding man and threw him against the wall.

That's when the whole bar went crazy, as a fight involving every drunken pirate to attack one another broke out. Theo picked up Jack's rum and threw the glass at the man after shouting some rude words at him.

"Why…" Jack began, shaking his head. "Is the rum always gone!" he said, ducking as a chair narrowly missed his head. Theo turned to Jack and looked at the broken glass on the floor, realizing she had used his glass.

"Sorry bout tha'." She said before throwing another strong punch at the man's nose, no doubt breaking it.

Theo suddenly grabbed Jack's arm pulled him into the corner. She took the tri corner hat off her head and shoved it into Jack's arms.

"Here: I nicked it off you before. Good luck, Jack Sparrow." Theo said quickly. Jack felt the top of his head: he hadn't been wearing his hat all along. Theo suddenly jumped over a table and ran to the door, taking her pistol out along the way. Jack ran to her, grabbing her arm.

"Wait…don't go." Jack said as his smile faded. Theo sighed and shook her head.

"I'm sorry Jack: I hope we meet again." Theo said with a sad smile. Jack could tell she was scared. He wished he knew why.

She leaned towards Jack, kissed him on the cheek, and disappeared into the night. Jack stood in shock for a moment, trying to absorb what had just happened.

_Must…go after…Theo. _Jack thought, shaking his head and leaning on a table for support. The room was spinning now, as the cries of the drunken pirates became louder. _Now _the drunkenness was kicking in. Maybe it wasn't the best night to get drunk.

Seconds later, the backdoor of the bar burst open. Four angry, sweaty, dirty pirates came in, all holding pistols. One fired a shot into the ceiling as the whole room went quiet. Jack knew the face of one of the pirates: his heart began to race. Everyone backed away from the four pirates, whispering in fear. Their captain stepped forward, his teeth bared and his cheeks a flaming red.

"Where did the dirty wench go?" He roared, firing another shot.

"S-she ran out! That w-way!" someone shouted immediately. Jack cursed the fool who ratted Theo out. Before anyone could react, Jack got down on his knees and crawled across the bar, sneaking towards the door. Jack leapt up and ran out of the bar, running through the crowded streets of Tortuga. Theo was gone, lost in the crowd of pirates and wenches.

"Bugger." Jack said under his breath. He watched as the men who had burst into the Tail On Dawn moments ago shoved Jack out of the way, looking everywhere for Theo. Jack felt a sinking feeling in his stomach: he could tell those men wanted her for some reason. Jack highly doubted it was a good reason.

**Chapter uno! Please review, it means a lot. I'm already done with chapter two, I just needs reviews and it'll be up. **


	2. An Escape Plan

**Hey again. Thank you those who reviewed! I can't think of any good titles for chapters so you're stuck with my sucky ones for now. Here's chapter two, please don't forget to review.**

**Saved**

Theo was kicking in her sleep, moaning softly. She kicked her legs, her eye twitched, and she was mumbling to herself. Something about blue ponies and dancing lessons. This proves the point that she has a… let say an_ interesting_ past.

An afternoon storm had begun a short while ago in Tortuga. Thunder rumbled in the distance, as a few steaks of white lightening light up the dark sky. The pitter patter of rain on the old and rotting roof that Theo was under was soothing. A few drops of rain were falling onto Theo's nose, making her twitch her nose in her sleep.

Last night Theo had been running for hours, trying to escape from her enemies. She weaved in and out through alley ways, taverns, and crowds of drunken pirates. She eventually tricked the pirates into following a different girl. They followed the other girl while Theo pushed her lips onto an incredibly drunken pirate, thrusting him up against the wall and putting her hands onto his face. The enemy pirates past her, thinking she was just another wench, and they ran after the other poor girl. Theo smacked the drunken pirate over the head and ran off, followed by a crowd of drunken men with puckered lips and suggestive words pouring out of their mouths.

Theo slipped into a broken down barn for the night. She collapsed onto the hay and that's where she laid for the whole night. She was hiding in the back of a horses stall. She rolled over and her head was now on the stomach of an old, grumpy horse, which snapped at her and whinnied loudly. Theo's eyes snapped open.

"Christ!" she yelled, rolling over to the other side of the stall. The horse breathed out of its nostrils and turned away from her. Theo stuck her tongue out at the horse's enormous rear end. She relaxed and took a deep breath. She was fine: sort of. She was just in the back of a horses stall, hiding from pirates who wanted to re-kidnap her and do who knows what with her. But she was just ducky.

Theo rose from her spot and stepped cautiously away from the horse and out of the stall. She smirked, ran to horse, smacked its butt, and ran out as fast as she could, laughing. The horse went ballistic, but simmered down after a few seconds of stomping around. Theo looked around the barn, ducked down low, and tip toed towards the exit.

Suddenly, Theo heard the sound of footsteps. Another low roll of thunder shook the barn. Theo backed up against the wall and listened closely to the noise outside.

"This is the very last place we're checking, right Captain?"

"Shut yer mouth or I'll sew it shut myself. She's in here, I can tell."

"I can't wait till she's back on the ship. Give 'er a beatin so hard she'll be seeing red."

Theo's eyes widened to the size of strawberries.

"Bugger." She mouthed, gulping. She had to move: _fast. _

Someone tried to open the barn door, but Theo had latched it last night. Theo knew that the wood that was holding the door shut wouldn't stop anyone from getting in: but at least it bought some time to get away. Theo frantically looked around for a hiding spot. Thinking fast, Theo ran over to the hayloft and jumped into it as fast as she could.

"I'm doing this the easy way: one, two…."

Just as Theo threw her foot over, the door to the barn burst open as four pirates ran in with their pistols out: one holding a rusty ax, which he threw to the side. Theo quickly and quietly climbed up onto the ceiling rafters. She was holding her breath but her heart was practically pounding out of her chest. The four pirates were the pirates who had spent the whole night looking for her: and now they had her cornered. The pirates walked around slowly, kicking over everything and looking everywhere for Theo. Theo suddenly felt a funny feeling in her nose: a tickly sensation. She tried to hold it back by pinching her nose by she was using her hands to hold onto the roof and before she could do anything…

She sneezed: loudly. The four pirates spun around and looked up. They smiled up at her, pulling out their swords.

"Bugger." Theo mumbled as she sucked in her breath. She leapt down from the rafters, landed cat-like on her feet, and pulled out her sword. She grinned at the pirates.

"I must say…" Theo said as one of the heavier pirates lunged at her. Theo moved out of the way and kicked him in the shins. He grabbed her arm but Theo cut his neck and threw him off of her. "You have a habit for showing up at the worst times."

"You think so?" one of the pirates said as he quickly stepped forward and sliced Theo's arm. She cursed and stuck her sword into his leg. He howled in pain and fell onto the floor, moaning.

"Oh please, this is too easy!" Theo said with a laugh. The third pirate was standing away from Theo. Theo turned to him and grinned.

"ARRR!" Theo yelled. The pirate screamed and ran out of the barn, dropping his sword along the way. Theo rolled her eyes and heard someone behind her.

Theo spun around to face the last pirate. She sucked in her breath and stared him down. He was tall with tan skin, dark hair, sage green eyes and a chiseled face. Theo bit her lip and looked away from his eyes. They were like poison, her very weakness. As handsome as he looked, he was the one of the cruelest and most heartless pirates Theo had ever come across. His name was Arthurus: and he was Theo's worst nightmare.

One of them, anyway.

Theo's grip on her sword tightened.

"Well Theo…" Arthurus began, stepping close to her. He attacked first, and it followed by a strong punch. Theo narrowly escaped Arthurus's fist, but she foolishly tripped over her foot and fell to the floor. She gasped and backed away from Arthurus. She quickly recovered by holding her sword up as the pirate pressed his sword onto hers.

"This will be the last time you'll run away." Arthurus said coldly. Theo's arm gave out as the pirate's sword sliced into the ground, barley missing Theo's chest. Theo rolled over and stood quickly, as her sword clashed against his.

"Maybe so: but this time, I'm fighting back." Theo said, lunging at Arthurus with a roar. Arthurus fell to the floor on his back, but kicked the back of Theo's knees. She fell over, and before she could react, he was on top of her with a pistol cocked.

"You think you're much stronger than you really are." Arthurus hissed into Theo's ear. He pulled her to her feet and slammed her against the wall. She struggled, but Arthurus was too strong. He was holding her wrists with one hand above her head as she tried to wiggle away. He used the other hand to hold the pistol to her chest. He let the cold gun explore her chest, slowly making its way to the peak of her cleavage. Theo shivered.

"Why would you kill me, Arthurus?" Theo said quietly. Arthurus tightened his grip on her wrists and pushed the pistol into her chest. He kissed her cheek softly.

"My old friend, I've gotten _everything_ that I need from you." Arthurus said quietly. Theo looked him in the eyes, shaking her head.

"Damn you to hell for it." Theo said coldly.

"You liked it, you know you did."

"Shut your mouth: don't you _dare_ say something like that." Theo barked viciously. 

"I think its time to just end the game." Arthurus said as he pushed the head of the gun into her cleavage line.

"Then let me go and it can end."

"There's no fun to that, darling."

Theo was tired of this. She was _so tired_ of this. She was sick and tired of being Arthurus's little puppet. She looked away and sighed.

"Then do it, quickly." Theo whispered, looking at the ground. Arthurus grinned.

"So this is what you want?" he asked, digging his nails into Theo's wrists. Theo winced and cried out softly as he dug his nails deeper into her skin. She bit her lip to hold back tears.

"No: but I'd rather die then have to go through what you put me through all these years." Theo said. She looked him in the eye and spat at him, getting him right in the face. Arthurus suddenly became extremely angry. He shoved knee between her legs to keep her still as he cocked the pistol and held it to her heart.

"I die with dignity." Theo said hoarsely.

"Do you want me to blindfold you?" Arthurus asked with a cruel laugh. Theo looked away as a single tear fell down her cheek, joining with the blood running down from her wrist. A deafening crack out thunder made the whole barn shake as a few pieces of the roof came crashing down. But either of the pirates moved: one too frightened and ashamed, the other too evil to even begin to doubt what he was about to do.

&&&&&

"Gotta find her, gotta find her, gotta find her…." Jack mumbled furiously. Cold rain was dripping down his face and messing up his eye kohl, which burned his pretty little eyes terribly. His hat was filling with water and would eventually collect so much water it would all fall right onto his face, screw up his eye kohl, and make his eyes burn all over again.

So Jack wasn't very happy at the moment.

He was running around Tortuga, shoving people out of the way and holding out his compass. He was trying to convince himself that what he wanted most was to find Theo, but it wasn't working very well. Jack cursed loudly and put the compass away. Now he just ran forward, trusting his instincts.

Instincts don't really kick in until _after_ a hangover.

"Jack: tell me why we're doing this again?" Gibbs yelled after Jack, panting and trying to keep up with him. Jack didn't answer and kept running. He suddenly came to a halt and cocked his head. There was something suspicious about the broken down barn that was a few feet ahead. The door was broken down and he heard the clanging of swords. Jack grinned and signaled to Gibbs to stay behind. Gibbs rolled his eyes, turned around, and started to go back to the Pearl, sneaking into the Faithful Bride before Jack could notice. Jack crept over to the barn and poked his head in the door.

"Oh bugger." Jack said once he saw what was happening: he saw the young pirate lass and another pirate, about his age, holding a gun right to her heart….

Before Jack could move, he had his pistol out and a bullet was already flying through the air. It struck Arthurus's wrist, making blood splatter everywhere. Arthurus cursed and turned to Jack, his eyes blazing with anger. Theo sighed deeply when she saw Jack, but knew she had to do something about the dude with the gun right in front of her. So she didn't what any girl would do. Kick him were it hurts: really, _really_ hard.

Arthurus was on the floor moaning, clutching both of his injuries. Theo stood over Arthurus, spat on him once more, and fired another shot into his wrist once again. Lightening lit up the sky as a boom of thunder cracked almost louder then Arthurus's yell. Jack winced as he saw a pinky finger go flying off Arthurus's hand. Theo didn't even flinch. She kicked him, stole his gun _and_ hat, (Jack gasped a little when he saw that) and ran out, grabbing Jack along the way. Jack looked at the dying pirates, then at Theo, and then ran out before any of them got up.

The two ran as fast as they could, cold rain drenching them completely. Theo kept running, leading the way. Jack followed, not even caring about his burning eyes.

Jack opened his mouth to speak, but Theo stopped him. Her kohl was running down her cheeks also, smearing all over her pale cheeks.

"Look, all I can offer right now is a thank you. Thank you, thank you, _thank you_, Captain." Theo said, running a hand through her soaking hair.

"Looks like you're in more trouble than I thought, love." Jack said with a grin.

"You have no idea." Theo said quietly. She began to walk as Jack followed eagerly. Theo picked up the pace as Jack trailed behind.

"Where are you headed now?" Jack called, stepping in deep puddles.

"I have no clue: as far away from here as possible." Theo called back, stomping ahead.

"Funny, I've got the same idea in mind!" Jack called out, removing his hat from his head and pouring the water out. Theo stopped walking for a minute and waited for Jack to catch up.

"Captain, are you trying to tell me that you…"

"Its Jack love, call me Jack: and yes, I'm saying that since we both have the same idea in mind…"

"But, Cap…_Jack_; I have my own route to take."

"Then you lead the way, love."

Theo stopped talking. She looked into Jack's eyes and sighed, thinking. He smiled and rubbed his eyes with his dirty hand, trying to stop the terrible itch and sting from the kohl. She thought on what Jack was proposing: go with _him_, on _his_ ship, with _his_ crew, and with _his _ideas and with _his_ adventures. It didn't feel right. But it would get her away from Arthurus.

"Where exactly are you headed, Jack?" Theo asked curiously, walking on. Jack followed, the two walking at a normal speed.

"I am actually embarking on a very interesting adventure, love. Cant exactly say _whut _yet, but it is quite the adventure." Jack said slowly, carefully choosing his words. Theo sighed and hugged her elbows.

"If you promise me you'll give me the respect I need…and you find me a decent hat. Yours would do." Theo said with a grin.

"Agreed on the first term…you're stuck with that hat you've got, love." Jack said with a genuine smile.

Theo liked this: it seemed right. Go off on another adventure, with_ the_ Captain Jack Sparrow: sounded quite satisfying to her. Jack stuck his hand out to shake. Theo smiled and shook it. Jack put his arm through hers, but Theo pulled away, running ahead. The rain fell onto her thin figure, making the cloth stick to her skin tightly.

"Nuh-uh:_ I'm _leading the way Captain."


	3. Jealous

**Please excuse the cheesy ending of the last chapter. Glad to see I have a couple of reviews!**

**PLEASE review, review, review: please, or there's no use in writing. **

**Chapter 3**

**The Secret's in the Telling**

Jack and Theo weaved through Tortuga at light speed, both worried that a group of certain pirates just might wake from unconsciousness and shoot at them any second.

Improbable: but not impossible.

The raging storm was finally ending, as was the day. The dark clouds faded into light grey colors and the rain came down at a slow pace, only soft drizzles. Theo tied her hair up in a high knot, a bead of sweat falling from her brow. The fact that the warm stormy day had brought a humid night wasn't pleasing Theo. The two pirates slowed to a walking pace, thin fog dancing around their ankles.

"You run fast." Jack said after taking a deep breath. He attempted to roll the sleeves of his jacket up, but the old leather was too thick.

"Gotta know how to run to live, no, to _survive_ in Tortuga." Theo said with a coy smile.

"Chased around by secret lovers, eh?" Jack asked suspiciously, but his eyes were playful.

"Let's just say that a girl like me gets a lot of attention: not for the best though. Besides, I've only been in Tortuga for a couple of weeks now." Theo said as she twisted the little black earring that was dug into her ear. Jack didn't bother to bring up the subject that she had told him in the bar the night before she was crewing with another ship: it was an obvious lie from the beginning, so Jack ignored it. Jack looked at Theo and raised his eyebrows at the sight of her ear.

"Lots of holes you've got in there." He noted.

"It scares people off: comes in handy."

"Doesn't scare me, love."

"Yes, but you noticed them, right?"

"Hard not to notice them: hard not to notice _you _either."

Theo did a fake sneeze to try to hide her blushing.

"Think I could talk you into getting your ears pierced? It'd look fierce, fierce indeed." Theo said with the slightest hint of sarcasm.

"Eh, I don't know about that love. Would I be able to talk you into a tattoo?"

"That ship has sailed: I've already got five."

Jack stopped walking for a minute.

"You're crazier than I thought."

"I'm not crazy, just _daring_." Theo noted, not trying to be serious.

"Alright, you are _too _daring." Jack challenged, beginning to walk again.

"What's this? I'm too daring for _the_ Captain Jack Sparrow? At least I'm polite; I said your full name, didn't I?" Theo pointed out. She blew her bangs out of her face, sighing. She was ready to take out her sword and chop of her overgrown side bangs that had a habit of falling over her eyes every few minutes. Jack laughed lazily.

"Oh, I_ doubt_ you're too daring for me, love." Jack said. Theo faked sneezed once again, hating herself from that rose shade that filled her cheeks at the worse times. The truth was, Theo loved how Jack exaggerated words and turned simple compliments and phrases into sentences that she would be repeating in her head for hours.

She shook Jack's words out of her head. He was becoming a distraction. A very good looking distraction though, she had to admit.

After a few more minutes of walking and keeping up the small talk, the dirt ground became the rotting wood of Tortuga's dock. The docks were crowded and busy, but a relief from the larger and drunker crowds behind them.

"It's beautiful." Theo breathed once she saw the Pearl. Her knees felt weak at the sight of it. God, it was a beautiful ship. She knew she had seen it before somewhere, but it looked magnificent. Jack noticed how awestruck she was.

Suddenly, something fell out of Jack's coat pocket. He heard a _clunk_ and felt an empty spot in his pocket. Jack turned on his heel and bent down to pick up what he had dropped. But Theo had already grabbed it and was busy inspecting it with her huge eyes.

"I_ like_." Theo said with a satisfied smile.

"Just…don't do anything stupid with it, please." Jack said slowly, swaying slightly.

"Someone's paranoid. I jus wanna look at it, jeez." Theo mumbled under her breath. She looked down at the compass and watched as the needle spun around. She watched it curiously and looked up at Jack. She noticed he was looking straight at her. She looked back down at the spinning needle, slightly embarrassed. Jack tilted his head and became curious. He peered to see which way the needle was pointing, but Theo turned away quickly.

"Whatcha doing?" Theo asked curiously.

"Oh, nothing love; nothing. Can I have that back now?" Jack said quickly. Theo's dark eyes became hollow.

"Looking to see what I want most?" Theo asked quietly. Her bangs fell in front of her eyes once again, hiding the hollow and dark feeling that was hypnotizing Jack. Jack's eyes widened. There was no way she knew about the compass and what it could do. Impossible. Theo placed the compass into Jack's hand and tried to walk away, but he wrapped his fingers around her arm and pulled her back, not too roughly though.

"How do you kn-"

"Captain Sparrow." A young sailor called loudly. Theo turned around in unison with Jack. Jack's eyes widened and his jaw tightened at the sight of the sailor who had just called for him. Theo watched intently as the two went into conversation. Theo thought the sailor looked unusually…_womanly_. Theo had disguised as a boy before, so it was easy for her to spot out the wannabe girl pirates. It was obvious that she was a boy in disguise to sneak onto the ship, Theo supposed. Before Theo could mention anything to Jack, a look of bewilderment filled his face.

"Elizabeth? _Hide the rum_." Jack said, turning to an older looking sailor who was carrying a bottle of rum and a light weight crate, taking an occasional swig from the bottle. The older sailor nodded and ran off quickly, but not before smiling politely at Theo. She smiled back, and then returned her attention to Jack and the woman sailor.

Theo put her hands on her hips confidently and turned to Jack. He put his arm over her shoulders as he led her over to the woman sailor.

The woman sailor shifted uncomfortably as she watched Jack lead over a woman who was… stunning, really. Elizabeth felt a strange feeling in her stomach as she watched the mysterious girl walked over with Jack. Long dark hair and eyes so dark Elizabeth had to look away. Elizabeth immediately became jealous of those eyes: they were very intriguing and probably made Jack leap onto her once he saw her. Was she a whore, or a pirate, Elizabeth wondered curiously. The girl was awfully intimidating. So Elizabeth took a deep breath and tried to appear as nonchalant as she could. She felt like smacking herself because she knew very well the feeling was nothing other then pure jealousy.

But she wasn't jealous of Jack's attention. Oh no, she had an anxious fiancé, running of after Jack. Her insides tingled when she realized that Jack would know where her beloved Will was. She knew Will was looking for Jack, so maybe Will was even in Tortuga, or on the ship already…it made her smile to think about it.

She loved Will very much. William and Elizabeth Turner, Mrs. Elizabeth Turner, ET, WT. She remembered the day the two of them went down to the beach and Elizabeth had written it in the sand on the beach. Will drew a heart around it, uneven though. It made Elizabeth laugh as Will gave her soft kisses and whispered things to her, words she loved to here. She hitched up her dress and ran away from him, laughing and tripping over her own feet. She'd fall onto the soft white sand and Will would lay next to her and give her passionate kisses, running his warms hands through her hair and up her thighs slowly. She missed him, so much. She missed his words and his touch and…everything in between.

"Ah, Lizzie: Liz, Theo, Theo, Liz." Jack said, pushing Theo closer to the woman sailor. Theo blew a piece of hair out her eyes, once again, as the woman sailor observed her, biting her lower lip. Elizabeth extended a hand to shake, which Theo accepted slowly.

"'Theo': that's a… _interesting_ name." Elizabeth said with a sly smile. Theo scowled and shook Elizabeth's hand stronger.

"What's that supposed to mean? 'Elizabeth' isn't all that wonderful either." Theo said bitterly. Elizabeth's eyebrows furrowed and she returned the strong shake. Jack tapped his foot impatiently, knowing that the two women's little meeting session wasn't going so well.

"Lizzie dear, I'd love to have you come with us, ye know." Jack proposed. Elizabeth pretended to look unconvinced.

"Where can I find Will, Jack? I know he came looking for you." Elizabeth said sourly.

"That's an interesting story, love, which will be explained in good time. Jus come on the ship and we can settle it all there." Jack said before Elizabeth could even attempt to bring up anything else.

"Well…I don't know." Elizabeth said with a soft giggle. Theo blew her bangs away and rolled her eyes at the dramatic reaction from Elizabeth. She was acting like such an attention whore.

Elizabeth noticed the eye roll from Theo. She stepped towards Theo once again, glaring at her and ignoring the cold icy feeling she was receiving from Theo's black eyes.

"Lets jus get onto the ship, ladies?" Jack said, gently pulling Theo away from Elizabeth. Theo looked at Jack and smiled coyly.

"Oh yes Captains. _Lets_."

&&&&

In minutes the anchor was raised and the sails were let loose, and the ship began to cut through the dark ocean waters. Elizabeth broke off from the group when she claimed that she would be sleeping in her _own_ cabin. _The prude _Theo thought with a satisfied smirk. Elizabeth bid Jack goodnight and nodded to Theo. She strutted off without another word. Theo rolled her eyes and looked out into the distance. The dark day was finally bringing some beauty to the night: a sunset bleeding of dramatic oranges, reds, and strong pinks spilled over the dark clouds of the day. Theo sighed deeply at the incredible sight. She walked over the side of the ship and leaned against the rail, propping her chin up her hands. Jack walked over and stood beside her.

"So, what do ye think of her?" Jack asked casually.

"To be honest, Jack, she seems like a jealous bitch." Theo mumbled. Jack suddenly burst out laughing. Theo turned to him and raised one eyebrow.

"I meant the_ ship_, love: what do you think of the ship?" Jack said after inhaling some deep breaths.

"Oh…I love it." Theo said, smiling. She turned to look at the dock that they had just sailed out of. Her smile faded and a sullen and somewhat afraid expression replaced it.

"That one over there is_ his_ ship." Theo said quietly, pointing out a huge, aging ship to Jack. From the bowsprit of the ship Theo was pointing to hung three dried out and decaying skeletons. The skeletons wrists were tied together, there bones hanging ghostly over the edge. Jack knew that Theo was talking about his ship: the man who had attacked her earlier that day.

"Why did he attack you, love?" Jack asked curiously. He saw Theo's jaw tightened and her eyes dropped to the floor.

"It's a long story: I'll tell you another time." Theo said quietly.

"Well I love long stories, you know." Jack said, encouraging her to tell him why.

"It's not that I don't think you'll listen: it's physically hard for me to talk about it, honestly." Theo said suddenly. She let her hair down from the bun she had made earlier and let the wave of raven black hair fall onto her shoulders. The wind whipped it around as the dark color blended in with the darkening sky.

"I'm sorry, Theo…"

Theo turned to him, her eyes glazing slightly. She smiled carefully.

"It's not your fault, I'm just not ready. Give me a few days to warm up to you, and then I'll spill it all." Theo said quietly with a playful smile. She still looked a little unsure and uncomfortable, but Jack understood.

"I'm going to go look around the ship, if you don't mind. Get used to the surrounds and stuff." Theo said, stepping away from the rail. Jack was about to follow her, but he nodded quickly and smiled.

"If you don't feel like sleeping downstairs with the crew, which I strongly advise, there's a small cabin two doors down from mine, if you please." Jack suggested. Theo nodded and began to walk away.

"Thanks, Jack: have a good night." She said, slipping away from the deck. Jack watched her, a blur of pale skin and dark hair, disappear. He sighed and shook his head. Gibbs noticed his following gaze and walked up to the captain, handing Jack a bottle of rum.

"New crew member, cap'n?" Gibbs said casually.

"Oh yes…" Jack said, not really paying attention to the old man. He was still clinging to the sight of the sunset and that look on Theo's face when she saw the ship that was docked back in the docks of Tortuga. Jack was growing curious: and he was dying for answers.


	4. Her Weakness

**I'm sorry it takes so long for me to update: I'm home sick today, so I took the opportunity to finish this chapter. Enjoy. **

**Chapter 4**

**Her Weakness**

From the second Theo opened her eyes the next morning she felt thick heat and humidity consume her. A beam of orange sunlight was hitting her face, blinding her. She moaned and rolled over, wiping some sweat off her forehead. She had taken the un-occupied cabin that Jack had suggested last night: it was a spacious but dark room, with two small windows opposite of the bed. Due to the sudden heat, Theo had kicked off any sheets that were on the bed and slept with her shirt tied up in a knot so her stomach was fully exposed, and her pants rolled past her knees. Theo had always been used to the hot weather of the Caribbean her whole life, but it was especially hot today. It would no doubt be one of many others that week.

Theo pulled herself up into a sitting position. She tied her hair back into a messy ponytail, hair falling out every which way. She stretched her arms, yawning loudly. She got into a cat-like position and stretched out her tight leg muscles.

Theo would have loved to get another hour of sleep, but thanks to the loud strings of curses from above deck she had woken up. It was mid morning and she was most likely the only one still in bed. She was surprised the captain let her sleep in. Suddenly, there were two quick knocks at the door.

"Come in." Theo called wearily.

"Rise and shine." Jack called, attempting a sing-songy voice from the other side of the door.

_Speak of the devil_, Theo thought as she bit her lip.

"I'll be on deck in a tick." Theo said, forcing her legs to cooperate and land on the floor. She her foot land on one of her boots, which was halfway under her bed.

Jack decided to invite himself into the room.

"How was your sleep?" he asked, walking around with his hands behind his back.

"Fine." Theo replied as she got down on her knees and grabbed the boot that was under her bed. Out of the corner of her eye she watched Jack. His eyes were locked onto her and follow her every move.

"What?" Theo asked suspiciously.

"You've got a bit of dried blood on that shirt of yours." Jack announced, leaning against the wall. Theo looked down and saw the stain.

"It's an old shirt."

"Would you like a new one?"

"You have something against my attire, Captain?" Theo asked, continuing her search for her other boot.

"Just being the polite, charming Captain I am." Jack said, tipping his hat. Theo laughed loudly, throwing her head back.

"That laugh could wake the dead." Jack said, cleaning out his ears with his pointer finger.

"Oh, it's not that bad…is it?" Theo asked. Jack shrugged.

"I guess a new shirt won't kill me." Theo said with a sigh. Jack nodded and left the room quickly. After a few minutes her returned and tossed her a relatively new shirt that was wrinkled, but looked somewhat clean.

"Thank you, Captain. Now, may I have some privacy?"

"On this ship, love, everyone is as open as possible. So you shouldn't mind if I remain…"

"What I was trying to kindly imply by that was _beat it_." Theo said impatiently. Jack stood still, smirking. He leaned back against the wall once again.

"Would you like me to use force?" Theo said through her teeth. Jack chuckled, and turned around to face the wall.

"I won't peak: promise." Jack called. Theo sucked in her breath impatiently, but began to strip off her old shirt. She felt the old beat up cloth slide of her smooth skin. The cool breeze from the window felt soothing on her swollen back. She put on the new shirt, buttoned the buttons and rolling up the long sleeves. It felt a little too tight, but she would get used to it. She turned around to see Jack looking at her, standing away from the wall. He had a funny look in his eyes.

"What?" Theo asked carefully. Jack walked over to her, walking in his strange, swaying fashion, and stopped in front of her. He took her wrist in his hand, strongly. He ran a finger over a burn, no, a _brand_, right above the half of her arm. He raised his eyebrows and pulled Theo's sleeve up higher.

"Who gave you this?" he asked quietly. Theo pulled back.

"It's… none of your business." Theo said, sticking up her nose. Jack grabbed Theo's arm once again, more forcefully, and looked her in the eyes.

"Whoa there…" Theo coaxed, surprised at his forceful pull.

"Tell me." he repeated.

"I'll tell you when I feel like it." Theo said stubbornly. Jack squeezed her arm tighter.

"You can squeeze all you want but I'm not tellin." Theo said quietly. The rings on Jack's fingers were digging into her skin. He waited a few seconds, and then released his tight grip slowly. He let Theo's arm fall back into place, noticing the pink spots were his rings had dug into her.

Jack let out a sigh and began to walk to the door. Theo followed behind him slowly; she was slightly afraid Jack would leap at her and demand information on her brand. But Jack did no such thing: he opened the door for her and gestured for her to walk out. But before she could walk out of the doorframe, he grabbed the shoulder of her shirt. She was jerked back and ended up in front of Jack. He pulled it so the top of her arm was exposed, to reveal a tattoo of a small heart on wings.

"So this is one of your tattoos. Let's see if can find the other four." Jack said with a knowing grin. Theo rolled her eyes and stood there, feeling slightly defeated.

"That's for me to know and you to never find out."

"Would you like to bet on that?"

Theo was sitting up in the crows nest, humming to herself and carving a piece of old wood she has found lying on deck. The knife was using was an old gift that she had owned practically her whole life. She was carving a dolphin, and it was coming along quite nicely. Theo was relieved when Jack assigned her to the crows nest for the morning. She was getting a lovely breeze

Theo looked down at her arm at the wrinkled pink flesh of her brand. Before she could think about that night, she shook her head in disgust, as if she were trying to shake those thoughts out from her ears. The painful memories that came back when she saw it….

_The pouring rain running down her bloody back, mixing with her hot blood. The ugly crew members surrounded her, laughing at her, mocking her. The deep thunder booming in the distance. _

"No…" Theo mumbled. She continued to carve, digging into the wood harder now.

_The cackle of the captain before he grabbed her arm and placed the burning metal on her arm._

"No, no, no." Theo whispered to herself, digging into the soft wood. Suddenly, she carved into the wood to hard, and the knife slipped and cut a deep line across her hand and down to her wrist. She cried out in pain, and then cursed for doing something so foolish. The ruby red blood was dripping down her hand quickly, the sting burning sharply. She looked around for a piece of cloth to wrap her hand with, but she saw nothing. Not good: the blood was coming quickly. She began to climb down to the deck. She wanted to move quickly, but her bloody hand was practically useless. It was slippery with her blood and the sting was becoming close to unbearable. The minute her feet hit the deck, she rushed to her cabin. But she foolishly bumped into someone along the way. She landed on deck, cringing once she felt her hand hit the deck.

"So sorry, ma'am… oh my, what have you done to your hand?" a smooth, kind voice asked. Theo looked up to see a scruffy looking man standing over her, holding out his hand. She took it with her good hand, as she pulled her up gently.

"I…cut it." Theo said weakly, the smell of her blood filling her nose. She was getting dizzy.

"Let's get you some help. What's your name?" The man said kindly.

"Theo…" she said meekly. She wanted to go lie down and stick her hand in a bucket of freezing ice water. To make matters worse, _a lot_ worse, Elizabeth came up to the two.

"Theo, what did you do to your hand? Let me go get Jack." She said, running off.

_Stupid, stupid Elizabeth_ Theo thought a she sighed angrily.

The last thing she wanted was for people to get involved, _especially_ Jack. She just wanted to be alone. Theo was getting tired of the attention. She pulled away from the kind man who had helped her and walked to her cabin, the blood dripping from her hand. James followed eagerly, and she heard distant footsteps and the muffled voices of Elizabeth and Jack. When Theo reached her cabin, she went in and shut her door quickly. She heard the three arguing outside her door. Seconds later, they burst in on her. Theo sighed, and just when she was about to scream at the three of them, she felt herself become terribly dizzy. She soon found herself in Jack's arms, after falling to the floor. She felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. Jack helped her over to her bed while Elizabeth remained in the shadows, watching them. Jack had grabbed a bottle of rum and her old shirt that was lying on the bed. He opened the bottle and dropped some onto the cloth after ripping it into strips. The kind man sat next to her on the bed, holding her up. She moaned and looked down at her hand.

"I can do it myself." Theo said shakily. Either of the men replied. Jack cleaned Theo's cut, watching her face. After her cleaned it, her wrapped up her hand and tied it. When he saw the red blood seeping through the cloth, he wrapped Theo's hand with another layer of cloth.

"You didn't even wince through that." Jack mumbled. Theo looked down, feeling her head clear slightly. The smell of blood always made her extremely dizzy and uncomfortable. The smell had faded, and so did the dizzy fog in her head. Jack sat on the other side of Theo as Elizabeth came over and stood over Theo, Jack and James.

"You don't look very happy." Jack said quietly.

"I don't have a strong stomach when it comes to blood." Theo confessed softly.

"Funny, you don't seem like that type of person." Jack said, offering a bottle of rum to Theo.

"I know…" Theo began, accepting Jack's bottle. "It wasn't always that way, you know."

Jack got closer to Theo and waited until she looked up at him. Theo finally looked at him, her eyes wide. She sighed and pulled her legs up to her chest.

"Do you really want to know the _whole _story?" Theo said quietly. Jack nodded; there was no need for words.

Theo looked at Elizabeth and James.

"I don't mind if you stay." She said, looking down. Elizabeth, not wanting to miss any of this, grabbed a chair from the corner of the room, and placed it in front of the bed. She sat in it, crossing her legs daintily. The kind man stood and went for the door.

"It's alright; I don't want to be rude. We'll converse another time." He said before leaving.

_Nice guy: I wish Elizabeth would follow his example_ Theo thought with a small grin. She didn't even know his name…

Theo soon realized Jack and Elizabeth were staring at her, waiting patiently for her to speak.

"Alright, but as I said before, it's a long story. It starts back a long, long time ago…"

**A/N: Next chapter is all about Theo's past. How fun. It's going to get this story on a roll. Thank you to my rare reviewers.**


	5. When The Heart Breaks

When the Heart Breaks 

Vincent and Jacqueline Roevendell were the two most well known people in Port Indigo. They were a very wealthy and very happy couple. They had a beautiful, old mansion full of priceless antiques, maids, and exquisite rooms. They held the best parties and were the most in style, receiving the most breathtaking dresses and suits from all over the world. They were very kind, very rich, and the base for secret jealousy from the other upper class couples. Besides all of that, Jacqueline and Vincent were very proud parents. They may have owned practically everything they could have ever dreamed of, but what they took pride in most were there children. Marcus William and Theodora Verona, the two children of the Roevendell parents, were the couple's greatest joys.

Marcus William, a young man of seventeen, was always one for the ladies. He had grown into a kind and very handsome man who looked very much like his father. His light brown hair and his unmistakable brilliant hazel eyes were what made him supreme eye candy for the young maidens of Port Indigo. Marcus could certainly have any mistress he wanted: they all went crazy for him, and every parent would die for him to marry their daughter. He was supremely charming and very caring: he was also very protective, mainly of his sister. Marcus's friends used to joke about how attached he was to his little sister, but they would only receive a deathly glare from Marcus. Nobody ever joked about his kind nature, ever. It ended up only making Marcus look more unstoppable.

And then, there was Theodora.

Theodora was…well, Theodora. She was younger than Marcus: only of fourteen. She, like her brother, was quite an eye catcher. But she didn't carry the same beauty her brother had. Theodora held a stronger beauty, a darker side of beauty. Her long, raven black hair was nothing like the usual blond or brown shades that most of the girls her age had. Her eyes took up so much room on her face, you had no choice but to look straight into her dark orbs: the fire in her eyes would burn a whole right through a persons skin. She was incredibly striking, just like her mother. Theodora was very close to her family, especially Marcus. He was always there to get her out of trouble. He was her best friend and was always there to give her a hand. Which was good for Theodora's case, because sometimes, she got into too much trouble. But not enough to give her a bad name. Theodora Verona Roevendell was still known as a proper, kind young lady. But her close family and friends knew that there was a bit of a bad side hidden behind those innocent eyes: Theodora knew it too.

On a pleasant June evening, Theodora was strolling through the streets along side her second best friend, Alana Crossings. The sun was slowly setting and casting an orange glow onto the ocean surrounding Port Indigo. The two girls walked side by side, exchanging stories of the past weeks exciting events and laughing at each other's jokes. The two girls had a lot to catch up on.

All of last week, the two girls were busy picking out colors for new dresses, trying on what felt like hundreds of pairs of shoes, perfecting there dancing and table manners, and testing makeup to make sure it would look just right with their skin tones.

The next night would be a huge event for the Roevendell and Crossings families. Harold and Rosaline Crossings, Alana's parents, were best friends to Vincent and Jacqueline Roevendell. The two mothers planned and hosted an annual party the last night of June. All of the upper class families were invited to this exquisite party, which would be the supreme source of gossip for the rest of the summer. Theodora and Alana were expected to attend, and of course, they had to charm everyone who was present. So, the girls had been going through exhausting hours of playing dress up, as if they were little girl's dolls.

But, the worst was over, so now they had plenty of time to catch up with each other. As they walked along the streets, with Alana's maid trailing behind, Alana suddenly stopped and tugged on Theodora's arm.

"Oh, Theodora, look at that dress! Oh, can we please go look at it?" Alana begged, her bright, round blue eyes bulging at the sight of a dress in a shop window. Theodora looked at it and sighed deeply. It was a shade of aquamarine, and was certainly breathtaking. Gentle white lace was sewn into the dress, along with shiny white pearls that dotted the collar, sleeves and hem. Through the shop window, Theodora saw the shopkeeper eying them hopefully.

"Alana, I bet you have enough summer dresses to wear until kingdom come. Come on, my mother wants me home before sundown." Theodora said, looking out at the ocean. They had about ten minutes until the sun was swallowed by the horizon.

Alana bit the inside of her lip and looked at the dress with eager eyes. She sighed and started walking again.

"Oh, _alright_. But that shade of blue…wouldn't it go lovely with my eyes?" Alana joked as she batted her long eyelashes. Theodora chuckled and shook her head.

The two girls walked through the busy streets, smiling to their families' friends and the familiar faces of girls from Miss. Fray's Etiquette classes. Theodora picked up the pace as the sun went farther down.

"I'm so excited for tomorrow night: it's going to be so much fun, isn't it? And this will be our first time looking so…mature, lets say. I can't wait for everyone to see me as a proper young lady and not, well, a little girl anymore. Don't you feel the same way, Theodora?" Alana said smoothly. Theodora gave a small smile.

"I have to admit I agree with you. And since my fifteenth birthday is in two weeks, guess what my father is going to give me as a present?" Theodora said slowly, her smiling growing. Alana's smile became bigger and she let out a small squeal.

"He's going to take you out on the _Rouge Atlantic_, isn't he?" Alana said excitingly. Theodora nodded with a laugh, her eyes dancing with excitement. The _Rouge Atlantic_ was Theodora's father's newest ship, and had caught Theodora's eyes the minute she saw it. It was a large, proud ship, with glossy new dark wood and huge sails. Her father brought her along on a tour of the ship, and Theodora was officially in love with the beautiful ship.

"I'm so excited: it'll be my first time on open water this year. Ever since he lost the _White Horizon _in the hurricane this January, he hasn't been able to get a willing crew assembled. But he has now, so he's going to take me with him for _five weeks_! I can't believe my mother agreed, but I'm too excited to stop thinking about it." Theodora said, her heart racing just talking about it. Alana smiled politely, but then sighed.

"I'm happy for you; but I don't see what the big deal is with the ocean and being on a big smelly ship and all." Alana said, flicking an imaginary piece of dust off of her dress. This didn't offend Theodora. Theodora knew Alana would never understand the thrill that came to her when on the ocean. It filled her bones and made the whole world become ten times bigger. She'd let her hair blow around and she'd stand on the highest point her father would allow her to stand. She'd end up with her cheeks flushed from excitement and her heart racing. The excitement would fade after the first few days, but then she would spend her days with the crew and her father, who were all so nice to her.

"Well, _I_ think it's going to be wonderful. I will miss you, though. I'll bring you something back, alright?" Theodora said with a giggle. Alana rolled her eyes and linked elbows with Theodora.

"What, a big smelly whale?" Alana said with a smirk. Theodora threw her head back and laughed loudly, soon joined with Alana.

(The next day.)

"_Je…sus…Christ…_" Theodora said quietly as she felt the air being shoved out of her lungs forcefully. She felt a terrible, tight cramping feeling around her ribs as she felt her stomach being tied tighter and tighter. This wasn't her first time wearing a corset, but it sure hurt like hell no matter how used to it she became. She felt a hot tear run down her cheek as her maid tied her corset tighter. The tugging finally stopped.

"Alright, miss, the worst is over." Her maid said as she tied it up. She then called the other maids to help Theodora into her dress. Theodora took several deep breaths and closed her eyes. She was about to sit on a nice, comfy chair to calm her sore stomach, but was pulled in front of a huge, three way mirror. She sighed impatiently, but felt the pain of the corset fade away once she saw the dress she was about to put on. It was a beautifully made dress made from the finest fabrics money could buy. The dress was a dark blue, like the color of the ocean at night. It was low cut and long sleeved, and tailored perfectly to Theodora's body. When she put it on and looked it the mirror, she smiled. She already felt older.

"It fits like a dream. Dear me, look at the time! We haven't done your hair or make up yet. Come now, we must hurry." Her maid said, leading her away from the mirror and sitting her down into front of another mirror. Theodora soon felt her hair being tugged every way, as maids came to her with every type of makeup imaginable. She felt a cold necklace being slid onto her neck and earrings placed on her ears. She closed her eyes and sighed, trying to breath deeply. It wasn't so easy to do when you had something that felt like an octopus squeezing your lungs.

An hour later, Theodora was finished. She turned to look at herself in the mirror and felt her mouth fall open. Her maids surrounded her and smiled deeply, all of them pleased with their finished product. Her hair was done in soft curls, falling over her shoulders like ink spilling onto paper. The top layer of her hair was pulled up, with her bangs falling gently onto her face. The maid had called it a "half up-do", Theodora recalled. Her face was smooth and pale with her eye and lip makeup dark and dramatic. Her jewelry was of pearls and elegant diamonds. She looked older than she ever had in her life. And she loved every part of it: except the stinking corset.

There was a soft tapping at the door. Seconds later, Jacqueline Roevendell and her maids walked into the room. Jacqueline smiled deeply once she saw her daughter.

"You look spectacular, my dear. Wonderful work, ladies." Jacqueline said, acknowledging the maids. They smiled back kindly. Theodora observed her mother's elegant attire and sighed. Her mother was wearing a creamy pale shade of orange, her elegant waist dotted with pearls and lace. Only her mother could wear a dress like that: it would look revolting on anyone else.

Jacqueline walked over to a jewelry box on the dresser and opened it. She rummaged through until she found a ring, a golden ring with a small, shiny black pearl on it, and turned to Theodora. She took Theodora's hand and slid the ring onto her finger. Theodora looked up at her mother's face, which was calm and relaxed. Jacqueline met her daughter's eyes and smiled.

"I want you to have this. It's a ring your grandfather gave to me when I was your age. He gave this ring to your grandmother, and when she died, he kept it in memory of her. Since my mother died when I was very young, as you know, my grandfather gave it to me. I know he would like to see the ring go into good hands." Jacqueline said, squeezing Theodora's hand. Theodora looked at her hand and watched as the light reflected off the pearl: it was simple, but beautiful.

"But mother, I bet this means a lot to you. You can keep it." Theodora said, looking back at her mother. Jacqueline laughed loudly and kissed her daughter's forehead.

"Yes, I will miss it dearly. But one of the reasons I'm giving it to you is because it doesn't fit me anymore." Jacqueline said softly. Theodora laughed and looked down at the ring. She loved it; it was elegant, yet simple, classic, and yet somewhat exotic. It was rare to see black pearls used in female jewelry. But Theodora was something rare too. She thought it suited her very well.

**(In the coach, riding to the outdoor garden where the party will be held.)**

Inside the spacious and lush coach that the Roevendell family was assembled in, there was silence. All that could be heard were the horse's hoofs pounding onto the ground and the turning wheels. The silence was soon disturbed when Marcus burped into his fist.

"Marcus!" Jacqueline snapped, but soon joined Theodora in giggling. Vincent rolled his eyes, but found himself silently chuckling. Marcus shrugged and sat up in his seat, grinning.

Theodora played with the ring on her finger and closed her eyes. She was excited to dance the night away, laugh with Alana at the snotty upper class men and woman, and keep a lookout for young men who had their eyes glued to her. She smiled to herself and leaned back in her seat, pleased. She heard the distant roll of thunder, a soothing sound she was used to. She felt herself drifting into slumber. The thunder became a little louder, and sounded closer.

Suddenly, she heard a loud collision. She snapped her eyes open and saw her mother and father's confused expressions. Marcus leaned over and looked out the window. He shouted something, but Theodora couldn't hear it. Because there was a much, much louder noise that filled her ears. It wasn't thunder at all: it was cannon fire.

The coach driver tried to turn the coach around, but the horses were in distress. Instead, he took a sharp turn. There was another crash outside, but this one was much louder, and was much closer. The driver was extremely frightened and didn't know what to do.

Theodora clutched her brother's hand as she felt the coach rock dangerously to the left. Jacqueline screamed and Vincent grabbed her arm as the coach rocked again, and this time, it rocked so far to the left, it tipped over.

The family screamed as the coach fell to its side. Theodora felt her body lurch to the left, and soon felt a sharp pain in her left arm. She cried out, but her scream was no match for the unbearably loud cannon fire.

It took Theodora a minute to realize that the cannons were flying right outside the destroyed coach. She then realized her eyes were squeezed shut. She opened them quickly and saw her parents and Marcus right beside her. They were moaning and rubbing their heads, but they looked alight. Screams could be heard everywhere, as more cannons erupted. Theodora tried to move, but she felt another pain in her arm.

"Ouch!" she cried, clutching her arm. Marcus helped her up as her father pounded on the coach door, which was now above them. The door finally broke open. Her father jumped and grabbed onto the door's fame. He climbed out and then reached out for Jacqueline's hand. Due to the size of her dress, it was a much more difficult job for her to get out. But with Vincent's assistance, she was outside soon.

"Hurry, Marcus, jump!" Vincent cried over the screams and cannon fire. Theodora could now hear not just cannon fire, but gunfire. She was growing anxious to see what was going on outside.

As soon as Marcus jumped out, he grabbed Theodora's arms and pulled her out quickly. When Theodora reached the outside, she couldn't breathe. She saw Port Indigo in havoc: something she had never witnessed. And it was terrifying to her. Shops were on fire; people were running all over and tripping over each other. It was petrifying, and Theodora probably wouldn't have moved unless Marcus threw her over his back and began to run, following his mother and father. They ran down the blazing streets, trying to avoid running straight into anyone. Theodora was so confused: who was attacking them, and why?

Suddenly, Theodora saw _them_. She screamed and almost jumped off Marcus's back. Pirates: dirty, evil, merciless pirates were attacking them. Theodora slid off Marcus's back and began to run alongside him. Marcus looked down at his little sister and nodded. But when they looked up, their parents were _gone_.

"Mom, dad!" Theodora called, spinning around. Marcus cupped his hands around his mouth and called out his parent's names. But nobody responded: all that could be seen were swarms of people running away from the burning buildings. Theodora choked on her tears and felt as if she couldn't breathe. This was a nightmare, a terrible, terrible nightmare. Just when she was about to call out for her parents again, Marcus cried out and fell to the floor. Theodora screamed and fell to the floor to help Marcus.

"My leg, Jesus Christ: I think… I got shot." Marcus moaned, his voice cracking. He clutching his knee and closed his eyes, sucking in his breath. Theodora looked down and gasped: she could she a dark patch on his knee, growing every second. Theodora tried to help Marcus up, even though she was being stepped on and kicked aside. Her ears were ringing and she could only focus on one thing: _help Marcus: get out of the way…_

"Theodora, run: leave me here. Go, go, now!" Marcus yelled, swatting Theodora away. Theodora crouched before him with hot tears running down her cheeks. Her hair had fallen out of the perfect bun: her dark curls were now flying everywhere and falling into her face.

"I'm…I'm not leaving you here!" she cried, taking his hand. But before Marcus could protest, Theodora felt a cold hand go around her neck. She tried to scream but she couldn't: she felt her face beginning to heat up. She felt the cold metal of a gun being pressed against her temple. Marcus was speechless: he was so dazed and hurt and confused, he really didn't know what to do.

"Ello, poppet." A thick voice said quietly into her ear. Theodora screamed like she never screamed in her life, until she felt her voice crack and her throat go sore. She thrashed about as she felt her body being lifted up. She then felt such pain in her head that she went numb. She didn't know it at the time, but the pirate hit her over the head with his gun. She moaned, and the last thing she saw was fire, blazing fire, burning all over. The place she called home for so many years was burning right before her eyes. She saw her brother being gagged with cloth by an ugly pirate, then being pulled away from her. She heard the pirate who attacked her cackling.

She saw orange, black, and red: the color of the fire. She heard the piercing gunshots and screams all over. She was drowning in screams. Her head spun as it sucked it everyone's desperate screams for mercy. It wouldn't stop, even as it became a hollow distant sound. And she swore she heard Marcus's cry not to far off. But she felt as if she were in a long tunnel, and the screams, oh, the screams, drowned out everything else. The overpowering, desperate, screams.

As she felt her body being thrown over someone's body shoulders, she saw Port Indigo for the last time. And then she saw endless black.

**(The next day, late at night.)**

"Coo, look at 'er. Lil' angel sleeps like a baby. Wish she'd tumble about over this way."

"Shut it; look, look at her eyes: they're openin'."

Theodora felt her body on a cold, hard surface. She shifted her body weight very slightly and felt pain surge through her body. Everything felt terribly sore and tight. She didn't want to open her eyes, but she knew she would have to. She opened them ever so slowly. Her eyes settled on a wooden wall. Her breath became caught in her throat. Her eyes shifted to her right, and she saw two grimy looking men standing by cell bars that surrounded her. They grinned once they saw her dark eyes settle on them.

"The lil' princess finally awakes. Betta' go inform the cap'n." One of the pirates said. He rose and left the terrible dark place where Theodora was. It smelled like mold, sweat, and piss. It was dark and dreary except for a couple of candles. Theodora felt sudden fear take over. She was so dazed and confused it took her a moment to realize one of the pirates was talking to her.

"I've been down 'ere a lot, I have: you's a pretty lil'un, you are." The pirate said to her. He had sandy blond hair that fell over his forehead, his big eyes full of mischief. He looked old, but young for a pirate, or at least all the pirates Theodora had heard of. She still hadn't moved an inch from her sleeping position. Her eyes just stared blankly at this man talking to her.

"You don't do a lot o talking, do ya?" he asked with a toothy grin. His rotten teeth could be seen from where Theodora laid. At this she sat up and backed up against the wall. She hugged her knees to her chest, yet still kept her eyes on this man. He began to walk around her cell, his hands behind his back. He then stopped walking and wrapped his fingers around the bars.

"I'd like to see what you could do with tha' mouth of yours, I would." The pirate said with a laugh. Theodora hid her head between her knees. Oh god, what was going on?

Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming. She kept her head buried, but heard the pirate who had been harassing her back off. Someone else came towards her cell. She heard a quiet chuckle that caused a shiver to run down her spine. Whoever stood before her suddenly hit the bars of her cell, causing a great deal of noise. Theodora jumped at this, but kept her head down. Then, after a long silence, she slowly lifted her head. Her eyes settled on a strange looking man: strange and terribly frightening. He was staring straight at her, wearing a beaten down hat and just as worn clothes. His old skin made his dull, almost yellow eyes look even more aged. His teeth looked awfully old and rotten. His lips were upturned in a sneer. On his shoulder sat a little monkey who was chattering and baring his little teeth. A couple of other pirates had joined the man, so the dark and dreary place now occupied about five other pirates: and they all watched Theodora with curious eyes.

"Glad to see yer' doing well, miss. I'm pleased to welcome you aboard my ship. I suggest you don't get too acquainted with these blokes…" the man said, waving a hand out to show he was talking about the men who surrounded him. They back away, but with evil smiles on their ugly faces. They weren't paying attention to their captain. They were too busy watching the young, helpless girl trapped in the cell in front of them.

"But I'd like to introduce myself. I am Captain Barbossa…" the man said with a mock bow. "And it's a pleasure to have you aboard, Miss. _Roe-ven-dell_." The captain said, pronouncing Theodora's last name with a snotty accent. The pirates laughed at this.

Theodora let this sink in. So, this Captain Barbossa knew who she was. Theodora knew deep down inside he wasn't going to hurt her: well, that's what her instincts were telling her. She noted he had that evil grin on his face and how he had rudely, yet playfully mocked her. The Captain didn't want Theodora to let her guard down: Theodora knew he wanted her to fear him. Marcus had once told Theodora to never show your fear. She now found that Marcus's words were easier said that done. But she knew that her brother, wherever he was, was right.

Theodora took a deep breath and rose from her place on the floor slowly. When the pirates saw her stand, they became quiet. Like their captain, they saw the girl as a play toy, something to push around and make fun of. So they were a bit surprised to see Theodora's dark eyes aimed at their captain. Theodora walked over to the bars and stood face to face with Captain Barbossa. He looked down at her with a very small smile on his pale lips.

"I'd like to know why my presence is requested here. And I'd like to know now." Theodora said with as much strength she could muster. She was surprised that her voice didn't crack. She was glaring straight into the face of Captain Barbossa: he stared straight back. Theodora felt her heart race with fear, but she held strong. The captain suddenly threw his head back and let out a loud laugh. The other pirates joined him. Theodora let her head slowly drop, her eyes closing in embarrassed defeat. All right, so maybe these men were a bit harder to scare than she thought.

"We've got ourselves a tough little garl, haven't we gents?" Captain Barbossa said to his crew. They all laughed with him cruelly. The Captain dug his hand into his pocket and withdrew a rusty gold key. The pirates cheered him on as he walked over to the cell door and stuck the key in the keyhole. Theodora's eyes were wide with fear, her mouth slightly trembling and unable to cry out in protest.

"Leave her alone!"

Theodora jumped and the pirates stopped cheering when they heard someone shout out in protest against there actions. The pirates turned to a cell across from Theodora's and glared at a young man who stood a the bars. Theodora couldn't help but let out a cry.

"Marcus!" she yelled, clutching the bars of her cell. In the cell across from her stood her brother, grabbing onto the bars and staring at his little sister. He sadly smiled at her, his face dirty and his clothes torn. She saw his leg was badly bandaged. But he still had a small amount of his friendly glow in his face. Theodora averted her eyes to Barbossa, who now looked agitated.

"Took you a while to realized your dear brother is stuck in 'ere with you now, did it? Well, get comfy miss: you're going to be here for a long while. Not so much for you, little boy." Barbossa said, turning back to Marcus. Marcus glared at the captain as he bit the inside of his lip. Theodora knew Marcus was holding back some rude words, but knew better than to insult the captain while he was completely defenseless. Theodora was curious about what the Captain said: what did he mean by Marcus would be leaving soon? Whatever it was Theodora knew it couldn't be good.

There was silence.

The pirates slowly began to leave, laughing softly and sneering at Theodora. They had their fun. Barbossa chuckled at Theodora and Marcus one last time, and then turned to leave.

"You didn't answer my question." Theodora said quietly, not intending for Barbossa to hear. It sort of just fell out of her mouth. But Barbossa head whipped around to Theodora. He walked over to her cell and took out the key, like before. Theodora's eyes bulged as she backed away from the bars. Her confidence and bravery faded away and the fear set back in. She looked over at Marcus who was watching the captain's every move. The captain unlocked Theodora's cell and let himself in. He slowly walked over to Theodora, who was standing against the wall, her breath coming out fast. He stood over her and chuckled darkly.

"Your dear old home of Port Indigo was holdin' some valuables we wanted to claim for ourselves, like most pirates. Before landin' on the shore I picked up news that the Roevendell family lived there, and I couldn't help but grab two extra valuables to ransom off." Barbossa said. He paused for a minute, and then began to pace with his hands behind his back. "So, here ye are, on my ship. I bet yer wonderin' how we'd ransom you off, since we're far away from Indigo. Well, I've made a change of plans, I have. " Barbossa stopped pacing and was back to standing over Theodora, who looked up with him with wide eyes. She thought for a minute, and then realized something. It hit her like a hard punch to the stomach; but this felt much, much worse.

"You're going to sell us." Theodora whispered, as if she didn't even want to hear her own words.

"No; there's no _us_. We could use a pair of young, strong arms on this ship." Barbossa said, turning to look at Marcus. Marcus looked stunned, then frightened, then angry.

"You're a monster." Theodora said, her eyes welling with tears. Barbossa didn't turn to look at her. Instead, he let himself out of the cell, slammed the door, then left.

There was a long silence. And then, Theodora couldn't take it anymore. She cried and sobbed and screamed like she was a three year old. Marcus let his head hang against his chest, his heart breaking at the sound of his sisters sobs. How did this happen? It was shocking how fast there lives had suddenly changed. And it was too much for young Theodora to understand. Marcus picked his head up after a few minutes to glance at his little sister, who was in hysterics. He feared that Theodora was going to go mad.

After two hours, Theodora quieted to small cries. She was sprawled on the floor in the middle of her cell, crying quietly. Marcus had fallen asleep. Night had taken over the ship: Theodora could sense it. There was only the soft sound of footsteps above her every once in a while. Theodora felt herself slowly beginning to fall asleep. She turned onto her side to face the wooden side of her cell, away from the bars. She closed her eyes and let a few more tears run down her cheeks. But after a few minutes she felt a warm hand touch her shoulder. She opened her mouth to scream, but felt the warm hand clamp over her mouth.

"Shush, don't move." A deep, smooth voice whispered to her. Theodora was about to bite the hand, but she heard a loud _rrrrrrip_ and then felt as if her lungs had expanded to the size of islands. She turned around and saw a man masked by the shadows, holding her ripped corset. After Theodora realized what he had done, she mouthed thank you to the man. Her throat was too sore and dry for words, and the man quietly left her cell. Theodora wanted to know whom this kind soul was, and was put to ease very slightly to know that there was at least one good man on this ship, even if he was the only one. Theodora relaxed once again, and took in a deep breath. She may have been in the gravest conditions, but it felt wonderful to breathe again.

(Three Weeks Later.) 

Theodora was purely bored. Bored to tears. She had never felt this bored, or alone. She was sitting in the corner, leaning against the wall with her head against the wood. Her eyes were glazed over, her cheeks were pale, and her lips were a dirty pink color. The life and shine from her hair had faded completely, leaving it oily and dull. It hung over her shoulders lifelessly. Theodora had been in the cell for three weeks now, and she had never felt so…dead. With Marcus working up on deck, she was alone in the dark and lonely place she now called "the prison"; even though she knew a prison cell would be better than this.

Theodora closed her eyes and thought about her mother and father, who were probably worried sick about her. She clutched the ring on her finger, running her fingers over the black pearl. She felt tears run down her cheeks when she pictured her mother and father crying over their two children. More tears came when she realized her parents thought they were dead. Her poor father who had gone through the trouble to get a crew ready for her birthday…

Theodora's eyes suddenly widened. Her birthday was last week.

With every thought that ran through Theodora's mind, she sunk deeper into sadness. She was going through depression, and it was a terrible thing to go through without anyone caring.

Theodora heard a door open and footsteps coming. She looked out of the corner of her eyes to see who it was. She felt her stomach sink when she saw it was the blond pirate who had bothered her the first day on the ship. Was that really only three weeks ago? It felt like years to Theodora. She had learned that this pirates name was Needles. He was a big pain in the rear and loved to harass Theodora. Today he was carrying her lunch, which was also her dinner. It was a bowl of some gray, mushy revolting junk that she forced herself to eat to stay strong.

Needles opened the cell door, dropped the bowl carelessly, and then slammed the door as he exited. He would have loved to stay in the cell with Theodora, but the captain himself told him that if he touched Theodora he would be thrown overboard before he could say "Parlay." So instead Needles harassed Theodora with his dirty tongue of his.

"Why are ye crying about?" Needles asked with a sneer.

"Sod off." Theodora said coldly.

"Let me guess, yer parents? Aw, that's it, isn't it; I saw how your eyes just did that. Oh, yous a bad liar, you are. Why are ye crying over them when they don't give a shit about you? Heh?" Needles asked, chuckling. Theodora found it extremely annoying how Needles could read even the slightest change in her expressions. She tried to block him out, but his dark voice was louder than anything in the prison.

"Nows I'm not s'posed to say anythin, but the Cap'n mentioned tha you wont be here much longer." Needles said. Theodora looked at him for the first time, her face showing fear. Needles grinned widely and stood to leave.

"Wait, tell me more." Theodora said quickly. She stood and ran over to the bars. Needles turned to look at her, but continued to leave.

"Needles, get back here!" she yelled. She saw Needles was having a hard time walking away, but he continued to. Theodora sucked in her breath angrily and called out to Needles once again, softer this time. Needles couldn't resist her this time, and he slowly walked to the bars of the cell, standing right in front of Theodora.

"Whom am I being sold to?" Theodora asked quietly.

"I don't know."

"Liar: if you tell me you can come in here with me for ten seconds, ten seconds only, but you're permitted to do what you want." Theodora said, choosing her words carefully. The glow that came into Needles face was priceless.

"I cant do much in ten seconds: make it five minutes."

Before Theodora could haggle with Needles, she heard cannon fire. She gasped and backed away from the bars, remembering what happened the last time she heard cannons. But then she thought something: maybe it was her father, or the Royal Navy, coming for her! She prayed it was, but the look on Needles face begged to differ.

"I'll miss you, Theo." Needles said with a cackle. Theodora glared at him and went back to the cell bars.

"My name is _Theodora_: and what's going on?" Theodora hissed. Needles simply chuckled and ran off before Theodora could scream at him. She heard commotion up on deck, but no more cannons. She heard laughter and a few hoots. It became louder and she then heard a soft thump. She heard louder footsteps, as if there were suddenly more men on deck…

After about half an hour she had heard the strange noises up on deck, she heard the door open, then footsteps. Theodora didn't back away from the bars, but instead stood there firmly. The first to come down was Barbossa, who she hadn't seen since her first night on the ship, then Needles, and then two incredibly handsome men who were looking straight at her. Theodora recognized a glimmer in their eyes, and the way their lips upturned into that sort of smile, and how their eyes feasted on her body. She began to feel very uncomfortable and knew this couldn't be good.

"This is the girl, gentlemen. I think my price is pretty fair, so, take her or leave her. I suggest you take her for her sake, because if not…well I guess Needles can have 'er." Barbossa said with a laugh. Needles grinned widely at this.

One of the men stepped forward to the bars. He had icy blue eyes and worn, tan and sunburned skin. Theodora could see the slightest bit of sand colored hair from underneath his hat.

"How old?" the man asked.

"Fifteen." She said quietly.

"Where did you pick up such a beauty, my old friend?" the man next to Barbossa asked, his eyes still on Theodora, but the question directing to Barbossa.

"Port Indigo." Barbossa said quickly. He was very eager to get rid of Theodora so he could fill his pockets with the money these two men would hopefully be giving him.

"You're asking for quiet a large sum, Barbossa." The same man repeated.

"I made the price _lower_ for you: now, do ye want her or not?" Barbossa said with a hint of anger.

"We'll take her, Barbossa." The man in front of Theodora said with a grin. In a flash, Barbossa opened the cell, entered, grabbed Theodora strongly and tugged her out. Before she could fight back he tied her wrists and gagged her with cloth. She cried out, but she stopped once the cloth went on her lips.

"This is Captain Edward Jones…" Barbossa said, patting the man who had stepped up to the bars to look at Theodora, "…and his brother, Arthurus." Barbossa said, extending a hand to the man who was standing next to him. This man had sharp green eyes and long dark hair. Theodora saw similarities in their face structure, their eye shape, and how wickedly cruel they now appeared. Needles waved goodbye to her as she was jerked up the stairs by Barbossa and followed by the other two men. Theodora was soon blinded by sunlight, which she hadn't seen in many weeks. When her eyes adjusted to the light, she saw that the crew gathered around to watch her leave. Her eyes filled with tears as her new captain grabbed her by her shoulders and began to pull her away. Arthurus shook hands with Barbossa and walked over to his brother and Theodora.

Theodora let her tears fall down her cheeks, her eyes scanning the crew for her brother. But he saw her first.

"Theodora!" Marcus screamed, pushing everyone out of the way to get to his sister. Before he could run to Theodora, Barbossa held his arm out and shoved it into Marcus's stomach. Theodora gasped as her brother hit the deck, hard. But Marcus stood, a little shaky, but glared at Barbossa.

"Jus' let me say goodbye." Marcus said quietly. Barbossa rolled his eyes and let the boy go. Marcus ran to Theodora and kneeled before her.

"I don't know what we did to deserve this, but stay strong Theodora. I don't know if I'll see you again, but please know, I love you." Marcus said, brushing away his sister's tears. Theodora tried to hug him, but she couldn't move her arms. Marcus saw her struggle and wrapped his arms around her, a tear falling down his cheek. Theodora took a deep breath, taking in one last smell of her brother, and looked him in the eye one more time. Marcus sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

Theodora felt her body being jerked back violently. She fell into the arms of Arthurus, who dragged her away. Theodora jerked her head around to Marcus. He was still kneeling on the deck and watching her disappear. He pounded his fists onto the deck and began to sob. Barbossa hit him over the head, hard, and yelled at him as the crew laughed at this. Theodora choked out a cry and tried to call out to him, but she couldn't. Theodora couldn't help but feel hopeless. She had lost everything, except memories. And those memories would not last long. Even though she had memories, she felt as if everything had been ripped out of her arms, and she was left naked, alone. You can't love a memory; one can't embrace you. Theodora suddenly felt so alone, so lost.

That's when she felt as if her heart had broken, and it became nothing but a memory.

**(Present.)**

"That was the last time I saw my brother. I heard rumors that Barbossa killed him after going sick in the head. I'd rather not talk about what happened on Jones's ship. But I will explain briefly, for it is very important. After years of torture, I had grown into a frightened and lonely girl. The name Theo stuck, even though I protested. They stole the ring my mother had given to me, and I'm pretty sure Edward broke it. I don't really remember very well. I felt as if everything from my past was erased. It was all very hard to go through. But I had learned how to fight, and I became strong physically. One night, I slapped Edward across the face. He threw me out of his cabin into the pouring rain and ordered for the Bo' sun. He didn't scar me, but the pain was awful. Ever after this, he branded me. I never felt such pain in my life. He then dragged me back into the cabin and tried to have his way with me. That's when I killed him. I felt as if while I killed him I was seeing red everywhere: I had so much hatred towards that man. I had very little strength left at that point, and when Arthurus came running into the cabin and saw his brother with a knife through his heart, he beat me, so hard I almost died that night. Arthurus became captain, and was even crueler than his brother. Even though I became his slave, something felt different from all of the years I was Edward's slave. I knew I had power now: I knew I had strength. I wasn't the weak little girl anymore. My courage returned, and although Arthurus was terrible to me, I was gaining strength. I attempted to escape many times: but I failed every time. Then, one night, I was very close to killing Arthurus. While he bled in his cabin, I threatened all of the crewmembers on Arthurus's ship. Some attempted to fight back, but I killed anyone who got in my way. I stole a long boat and ended up in Darlete, a port like Tortuga. That's were I got the piercings and tattoos. After hearing Arthurus was looking for me, I knew I had to do something. I'd disguise as a boy by day, then stay in hiding at night. When Arthurus came to Darlete, a crewmember of his was in the same bar as me. I was throwing darts, and while doing so my sleeve went up, and the crewmember saw that stupid brand on my arm. He ratted me out. That night I escaped and never returned to Darlete. So I traveled all over, and ended up in Tortuga. And… well, you all know the story from there." Theo said.

She took a very deep breath, held it, and then released. She felt exhausted after telling that story. But she didn't understand why Jack and Elizabeth look so shocked. Yes, Theo expected them to think strangely of her story, but she knew there was something more.

"Theo…" Elizabeth breathed, but Jack shook his head violently. Theo looked over at Jack curiously. Jack took a deep breath and sighed.

"You aren't the only one with a long story to tell. But I think we've had enough for one day." Jack said quietly. Elizabeth nodded, stood up, and left the room quickly. Jack and Theo sat in silence for a moment. Jack then took the chair Elizabeth had been sitting in and sat in it so he could look into Theo's face.

"I don't really know the appropriate words to say at the moment, except thank you for telling me that. It must have been hard to get all of that out, love." Jack said quietly. He had a million thoughts going through his head. How would he tell Theo everything? That she was sailing on the same ship she had when her life got turn upside down, that he was currently searching for the chest of Davy Jones, father of her worst enemies. Jack looked over at Theo, who was looking down at her hand. She looked much like a little girl, her face calm with no creases of worries, her bony fingers playing with her bandage. Jack tired to picture Theo as a young girl stuck in the Pearl's brig. It wasn't a pleasant thought.

"You should rest in here for the day. I'll send someone in with dinner." Jack said finally. He smiled weakly at her before standing. But Theo pulled him back down.

"I have a feeling what you want to tell me won't be very good." Theo said, narrowing her eyes.

"Let's just save it for tomorrow, savvy?" Jack said with a small laugh. Theo sighed and sat back down on the bed. She curled up into a fetal position and sighed. Jack nodded at her kindly before leaving the room.

Theo closed her eyes and clutched her pained hand with her other hand. She had never told anyone her whole story, and surprisingly, it felt sort of good to get it all off her chest. She couldn't believe how much time it took up though: she could see the sky turning pink and orange outside her window, meaning the sun was setting. Theo smiled to herself, feeling a satisfied rush run through her. She was safe on the Pearl with Jack, and far away from Arthurus. _He might even be dead _Theo thought. She nestled into her pillow and drifted off to sleep, a new sort of happiness filling her dreams.

**&&&&&&**

Arthurus sat on his bed in his cabin, clutching his bandaged hand. He had been going through such pain the whole day it was almost unbearable. His face was full of supreme anger. He was thinking deeply and biting his lip, taking in deep breaths to calm his rising anger; which was about to bubble over. His hand slid down to his dagger sheath. He whipped out the dagger and flung it across the room. The dagger dug into the wall across the room, trembling slightly.

A knock came at his door, and a large crewmember entered his room.

"Captain, sir, we have a heading." The crewmember said confidently. Arthurus looked up and grinned evilly, the anger and pain still on his face.

"Good: we'd better catch up to them soon or I'll have all of your heads on plates." Arthurus said coldly. The crewmember swallowed and left the room quickly. Arthurus looked down at his hand that was wrapped in cloth. He removed the cloth to see a bloody blue and black hand. He covered it in disgust and let out a little roar of anger.

"I'll kill that bitch if it's the last thing I do."

A/N: FINALLY I got this up! It hasn't been working for days for some reason, so I'm very pleased it's finally posted. I bet you have a lot of questions, but they will all be answered in the next chapter. Oh, in the last chapter, I'm sorry about how I went from calling James "the man". Don't get angry me; I was pretty delusional and feverish! Haha. I'm not really sure what I was doing, but the man who helped Theo was our lovely James Norrington. I think he'll be making a better entrance in the next chapter Alright then, PLEASE REVIEW.


	6. Harsh Explinations

**Born To Be: Chapter Six**

**Hello, all: Here's a reasonable chapter for you.**

**I saw AWE opening night, and I loved it. It was unexpected, but good. A strange angle for Disney (in reference to the ending), I'd say. Eh. It was a nice ending, but somewhat depressing. I want them to do a fourth, even though they really don't have much to work off of. Then again, who wouldn't want more of Johnny and Orlando! Especially with Will's new scar… 'swoons'**

**Alright, enough of my ranting. Review!**

At two in the morning, The Pearl was slowly gliding across the ocean in silence. The only noise was the soft waves lapping against the ship and the silent creaking of the Pearl's old wood. It was a calm, peaceful night, no doubt.

Suddenly, Theo awoke. She didn't open her eyes yet but she came into consciousness. She took in a deep breath and let it out calmly. She could taste the salty air on her tongue and feel it burn in her nose. She awoke because there was a sudden noise in her room: the creaking of her door. Theo kept her breath steady and kept her ears open to anymore creaking sounds. She had fallen asleep with one hand under her pillow, and she ever so carefully wrapped her fingers around the dagger that was hidden under the pillow…

"RARRR!" Theo shouted as she shot out of her bed, leaping and landing on the floor with a soft _thud_. Her dagger was held out in front of her, her teeth bared viciously.

The window was letting in a white glow of moonlight that showered onto a tall and lean body. The person was standing at the end of Theo's bed. The figure gasped and let out a girlish yelp.

"Jesus Christ!" the figure shrieked, falling over. A _thump_ followed.

Theo relaxed and rolled her eyes. She walked over to the edge of her bed, where Elizabeth Swann was pulling herself together. Even in the dark night Theo could see that Elizabeth's cheeks were dark red with embarrassment. Elizabeth dusted off her shirtsleeves and stood quickly.

"Can we talk?" Elizabeth whispered. Theo let out a laugh.

"You sneak into my room during the dead of night, scare me half to death…."

"Scare _you_? You practically gave me a heart attack!" Elizabeth cried out in protest. Theo let out a sigh and tried to calm her racing heart. She gently placed the dagger back under her pillow. She then clutched her hand and took in a sharp breath. Now that her nerves had calmed she felt the punishment of using her damaged hand. She squeezed her bandaged hand tightly in attempt to stop the painful burning.

"Alright, lets not wake up anyone; especially our Captain." Theo said calmly.

"Actually… he_ is _awake: and he's _been_ awake the whole night." Elizabeth answered flatly.

Theo looked up from her hand and studied Elizabeth's face carefully. Theo noticed Elizabeth's eyelids were dropping and there were dark circles under her eyes.

"He's…sent you for me?" Theo asked curiously.

"No, actually. I can't sleep because he keeps pacing back and forth. The floor is creaking and it's driving me up the wall. What you said earlier, your story…it's troubling him, keeping him up. So… can you please go to him? _Now_?" Elizabeth said, pointing to the door.

"How could _I_ help?" Theo asked, letting out a yawn. She fell back onto her bed and closed her eyes. Elizabeth growled, agitated.

"Just…let him explain everything. He needs to get it off his chest." Elizabeth pleaded. Theo opened one eye.

"I have a feeling…that what he's going to tell me isn't very good."

"Please, _just go_." said Elizabeth, a small yawn following.

Theo sighed, stood from the bed, and walked past Elizabeth. Elizabeth followed Theo out the door and walked her to Jack's cabin. As they neared, Theo heard Jack's boots against the floor and the creaking floorboards. Light was coming from a crack under the door. As they came to the door, Elizabeth lifted her hand to knock, but Theo lifted her fist and pounded on the old wooden door. It was unlocked and swung right open. Elizabeth rolled her eyes and snuck off back to her cabin after whispering a soft "thank you" to Theo. But Elizabeth certainly wouldn't be asleep: she was going to press her ear to the wall and listen very, very closely.

Jack turned slowly to see Theo standing at his door. She shut it with her foot and sat on the edge of his bed. Jack watched her curiously.

"Eh…good morning." he mumbled.

"Although I don't have a particular liking for Elizabeth, I thought I'd do her a favor and come in here, to talk. So, tell me everything that you're keeping behind your teeth." Theo said, getting to the point.

Although she spoke with ease, she was nervous on what Jack had to say. She didn't know what to expect. But she could tell the way Jack took a deep breath and playing with the rings on his finger that he didn't know what to say (which was_ never_ a good sign.)

"Alright…I just don't really know where to start. I guess I'll start in the beginning. That's always a good place to start, right? Right. Okay. Alright. Yes. Well. Uh…"

"I would like to get some sleep tonight also, if you wouldn't mind." Theo interrupted flatly.

So Jack began. The words fell out of his mouth, dribbling from his lips. He told her everything: his relationship with Barbossa, the Pearl, and saved the worst for last: Davy Jones. He watched as Theo's eyes widened as his words burned her heart and dug into her brain. Every sentence made the fire in her heart bigger until it was a burning flame of confusion and pain. Theo grabbed her damaged wrist and squeezed it tightly. Whenever Jack paused, Theo would shake her head, wanting him to continue.

It took half and hour to get the whole story out. When Jack finished he didn't dare look up at Theo. He felt much better with all of that off his chest, but he felt Theo's pain. His eyes remained glued to the floor as his heart beat fast in his chest. He feared that he had scared her, and he _prayed_ she wouldn't take out her anger on him. Jack figured he could be on the floor in seconds if she dared to throw a punch.

After a long minute or so, Jack let his eyes slowly travel to Theo's face. It was wearing an unreadable expression, which…was neither good nor bad. Her eyes were wide, her jaw was tight, but the rest of her face muscles seemed calm. She opened her mouth to speak.

"That's…well…I really don't know what to say. Everything has changed now." Theo whispered to herself. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her heart felt as if it had stopped beating. Her mind was racing rapidly as everything clicked in her head.

When she opened her eyes she saw her damaged hand bleeding again: her nails had dug through the bandage and pierced her skin. But that was the very, very least of her problems.

"Are you alright?" Jack asked softly.

Theo didn't answer Jack. The air returned to her lungs. She began to gulp in air as her face headed up. Her heart raced and her hands began to shake. Before she could stop herself she leapt up from the bed and ran out of the room, with Jack hot on her heels.

"_I knew_ it was familiar, I just didn't say anything. But it's all coming back now." Theo mumbled furiously as she came to the deck. Jack ran after her as she charged down the dark steps to the brig. When Jack got down the stairs he saw Theo clutching the bars of the corner cell.

"This is the place that has haunted me for so many years, burned into my memories. This ship…it _ruined_ me, Jack…_it ruined me_!" Theo yelled. Jack stood motionless. Theo turned around, her cheeks streaked with salty tears.

"Everything is happening so fast. Days ago I was trying to escape my death, and now, I'm heading straight towards it. There is no doubt in my mind that Arthurus will go crying to his father for a shoulder to lean on, or a sea monster to send out to kill me. I know how he thinks. He and his father will hunt me down, hunt _you_ down, until…"

Jack watched as Theo's shoulders fell, her head hanging low. Theo took a deep breath and pushed her shoulders back.

"No. This time, I'm not running away. I've been a coward, a bloody _coward_, and I_ don't want to be a coward_." Theo said hauntingly. Her tone startled Jack.

"Damn the Jones family to hell, all of 'em; even though God knows their evil doings are too sour even for the devil. God, Davy Jones practically _is_ the devil. And you, Jack Sparrow, are going after the one thing in the huge world that can stop Davy Jones, and…" Theo paused and swallowed. Jack inhaled sharply.

"I…I want to help." She said, nodding. She ran a hand over the cold, metal bars of the cell. More tears sprang to her eyes, blurring her sight. She turned and walked across the floor.

"My brother…his cell, it was this one, right here." Theo said shakily. More tears came to her eyes. She thought of her brother and felt her heart become heavy. How she missed him, her only dear friend. _God bless his soul,_ Theo thought.

Jack watched as Theo wiped her eyes on her sleeve and slapped her cheeks.

"I will stay on your ship, Jack. I want to help get this chest you talk of, but only if you promise me something." Theo said quietly, her eyes looking over at Jack. He walked over to her cautiously.

"I want you to help me find Arthurus, well, if he doesn't find _us_ first that is, because I know that I didn't kill him that terrible night. A lost finger will not stop that monster. When I do find him, I _will _kill him. You _must_ not interfere with what I must settle with him. You do what you wish with Davy Jones. But I want to stop Arthurus Jones once and for all, even if it means death upon me." Theo said as she wound her bandage around her wrist again, her eyes not settling on Jack.

"And _you_ will not interfere with what I must settle with ol' fish face, savvy?" Jack said slowly. He reached out for her chin and forced her eyes upon him. Theo looked at him and smiled. It was not a happy smile. It resembled an angry smile, one that a tiger wears before it takes down its kill once and for all.

"Yes, Captain." She said, still wearing that terrible smile. Jack released her chin, and gave her a small smile. Her put a hand on her shoulder.

"Once again I'm sending you off to bed." Jack said, watching Theo dry her face once more and let out a little yawn. She nodded wearily and began to slump out of the brig, Jack assisting her along the way.

"My bed is actually awfully cozy, ye know…"

"And you, Jack Sparrow, are once again pushing your luck. _Good night_." Theo said once they came up on deck. Theo gave Jack a smug smile and turned to go to her cabin. But while walking she stopped and turned.

"Thank you, once again." Theo said quietly.

"You're welcome: and thank _you_ for listening, luv. I know it wasn't easy to hear all that. " Jack said with a nod. Theo turned back around and walked into the dark, with Jack watching carefully. There was something about the way she walked and the way the moon hit her hair that made him smile. He realized, after a few seconds, that he was still standing there after Theo was gone. Jack shook his head, making his hairpieces jingle, and walked back into his cabin. A soft happy glow was making him smile, for he had come to realize something. It actually felt good to tell the truth every once in a while.

**The next day, late morning.**

"Jack, stop acting your shoe size and start acting like a man!"

Theo was sitting against the wall of her bedroom, her head against the old wood. She was using an old rag to create a new bandage for her wrist. She wrapped the old cloth around her wrist slowly as she listened carefully to the fight between the two lovebirds above deck.

"Elizabeth, love…"

"Stop. Calling. Me. 'love'!"

Theo laughed.

"Show me the compass."

"Untie me first!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"NO!"

"Y-E-S, YES!"

"N-O-H, NO!"

Theo laughed loudly and tied the final knot of cloth around her wrist. She felt wide-awake now. She rose from her spot on the floor and shoved her boots on her feet. She gingerly placed her hat on her head, kicked open her cabin door, and came on deck.

It was another sunny, bright day, with the sun over the ship and the dark blue waves crashing against the sides. Salty drops of water splashed on deck and flew through the air. A couple landed on Theo's cheeks. Theo smiled, and then looked over to where a small crowd assembled. Her jaw dropped as she bit her tongue to hold back her laughter.

"Jack, this is absolutely barbaric. Untie me before I…"

"Lizzie, just tell me where the compass is, and all will be well."

Elizabeth was tied to the mast. Yes, it was quite a sight. Thick rope held her body back against the ship, her arms and ankles knotted in separate rope. Jack stood in front of the helpless Elizabeth and paced back in forth with his arms around his back. The crew surrounded him, sniggering at the sight.

"Would you rather me rummage through your pockets and your cabin?" Jack asked Elizabeth with a smile. He stepped close to her and let his eyes and a hand drop down her shirt. Elizabeth took the opportunity to sink her teeth into his hand: hard.

"OUCH! I was just looking in there!" Jack cried.

"How _dare_ you! You…you…" Elizabeth said, her eyes narrowing.

"Go on, say it!" Jack cried out, a small smile causing his lips to twitch.

"YOU STUPID, BLOODY PIRATE!" Elizabeth screamed, stomping her feet on deck.

"Please tell me you didn't…._drop_ it, or something dreadful like that." Jack asked with a wince. Elizabeth averted her eyes. Jack lunged for her.

"What? You dropped my compass! You _dropped it_? Where? When? Why? Someone _better_ git me some rum…. and where's that god damned monkey! I need to shoot something, now! Ye hear me? N-O-W-E, _now_!" Jack bellowed. The crew flew off into separate directions to go in search for some rum and a particularly annoying monkey.

"I didn't drop it, Jack! I just _misplaced_ it! One minute it was on the barrel and then it was gone!" Elizabeth cried as she struggled to get herself freed.

Theo was smiling ear-to-ear at this point. This was something she enjoyed.

"Quite a scene, isn't it?"

Theo looked to her right, where a dirty pirate stood smiling at the scene that was enfolding in front of them. He was scruffy man with dark wavy hair and hollow eyes. Theo remembered him front last night.

"Yes; _very_ amusing." Theo said with a small smile. The man smile back kindly.

"THEO!" Jack shouted, suddenly. Theo whipped around to see him chugging a bottle of rum in record time. After he finished and smacked his lips he opened his mouth to speak.

"Yes, cap'n?" she called out to him.

"Go get the monkey!" he called to her. Theo mumbled a goodbye to the man next to her and went looking for a monkey. She had no clue why there would be a monkey on the ship, or why this monkey would help Jack.

When she was about to go up the steps to the wheel, she saw a little monkey dressed in little clothes, chattering happily on the stairs. Theo smiled gently at it and made a clucking noise with her tongue. The monkey eyed her, and then jumped to her shoulder. Its little beady eyes observed her carefully. It then ran it's little paw through her hair. Theo giggled and stroked its head with her finger. The monkey pulled on her hair, hard, and laughed. Theo glared at the little creature. It cocked its head and let out a screech.

Suddenly, Theo's eyes widened. She remembered back when she was on the Pearl with Barbossa…he had a monkey…and it looked exactly like…

Theo's thoughts were interrupted by a gunshot. The monkey went flying off her shoulder and fell to the deck. Theo screamed. The monkey stood and screeched at Theo before scurrying off. Theo's jaw dropped as the monkey took in four more bullets, not stopping its running.

Theo turned and saw Jack shooting at the monkey wildly, calling out curses after it. Elizabeth screamed at Jack, begging for him to take patty on the creature. The crew was either running after the monkey or cheering Jack on. With Jack running in circles after a little ball of fur and Elizabeth stomping her feet and screaming, it was clear that the Pearl was a place of uproar.

After the monkey stuck its little pink tongue out at Jack, it ran off under the stairs. Jack blew the top of his gun and frowned. His eyes then went to Theo.

"That was Barbossa's monkey, wasn't it?" Theo asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"How does she know 'bout Barbossa?" a scrawny pirate with an odd looking eye asked the pirate next to him. His friend shrugged.

"You've got a good memory." Jack grumbled as he put his gun away. Theo joined the crowd of crewmembers around Elizabeth, who were now sore from laughter. Jack approached Elizabeth once more. As he opened his mouth wide, probably to yell at her, a crewmember ran to Jack holding the compass.

"Captain! The little fur ball o' terror had _this_ in his stash." The pirate said as he handed Jack his compass.

"Ah, thank you, Mr. Gibbs. Now, will you kindly release Miss. Elizabeth from her bondage so she can roam freely." Jack said as he stroked his compass. Elizabeth's ropes were cut, and once they fell to the deck she stomped up to Jack and slapped him. The crew sniggered and ooohed.

"I hate you." She hissed as she stalked off.

"Wait: I need you to use the compass so we can find…" Jack called after Elizabeth. She didn't turn around, but simply stomped off to her cabin. Jack clucked his tongue disapprovingly and turned away from his crew, walking away from the scene gracefully. Theo followed him.

"That was a creative way to get what you wanted." Theo said curtly once she caught up with Jack.

"I always get what I want around here, luv." Jack said as he tucked his compass away into his large coat pocket. Suddenly, Jack stopped walking. He left his right foot sticking out, and once he stopped, Theo tripped over his boot. She fell to the deck with a hard _thump._

As she got up, ready to slap Jack as Elizabeth did, Jack neared her with his eyes wide.

"I know what I want…but do you know what you want?" Jack asked her in a husky whisper.

"What are you saying?" Theo asked with once eyebrow raised.

"You want to find Arthurus Jones, aye? Well your not going to find him without finding dear old papa fish face. And we can't find daddy Jones unless we find his heart. So to get what you want…"

Jack didn't have to say another word. Theo reached into his pocket and whipped out the compass. As the seconds went by, she looked up at Jack.

"We, once again, have our heading."


	7. Gotta Have You

**Born To Be: Chapter Seven**

**This will be my last chapter until late August. I'm going to be spending my summer in Paul Smiths New York, at camp. I'm leaving June 24****th****, returning August 15****th****. I promise as soon as I get back I'll write a nice, long chapter. Read and review, please! And may you all have pleasant summers.**

It seemed that Elizabeth had made a vow not to forgive Jack. She made sure that she was constantly a good, far distance from him. On the occasion that she did run into him, Jack would hopefully lift his eyes to look at her; she'd glare and look down. She would then turn on her heels and walk the other way. Jack, who thought Elizabeth was being a party pooper, would let a frustrated sigh.

Theo, (who was usually around when this happened) would then rollher eyes and get back to work with whatever she was doing. It used to be funny to watch the two of them squabble like an old married couple; but after a week it became pretty boring.

Theo had been on the _Pearl_ for a week and a half now. She had settled in nicely and enjoyed the environment of the _Pearl._ She caught onto the ships routine quickly and became comfortable with the surroundings. But she made sure she was always a fair distance from the brig.

The crew wasn't too bad. At least they were friendly _enough_. She became acquainted with the kind Mr. Gibbs, who didn't seem to like her at first. But after she tied a perfect knot to hold down the cannons during a small storm a few days ago, he came to realize she was just as useful, if not more, as any other man in the crew, and not a lovesick, pirate wannabe who had their eyes on a certain captain. He still had his suspicion of women on ships though, as much as Theo tried to kindly protest. He was a kind soul; although if you saw him drink you'd beg to differ.

There was also Ana Maria, the other woman pirate in the crew. Ana Maria did her work well and kept to herself most of the time. Theo went to her one day to have a small chat.

"How long have you crewed on the _Pearl_?" Theo asked casually. Ana Maria's dark eyes inspected Theo and softened.

"Long: _too_ long. I used 'ta have my own ship 'till Jack came along one day. Used his sweet talk and everything after tha' is embarrassing to tell. It ended with Jack stealin' my ship and sailin' away with me stuck at damned Tortuga." Ana Maria said fiercely. Theo let out a small laugh. Ana Maria looked at her and smirked.

"I guess 'tis funny now, but god, did I hate 'tha man…" Ana Maria said as she shook her head.

"I'm Theo, by the way." Said Theo.

"Oh, I know who 'ye are. I'm Ana Maria, but you can jus call me Ana." Said Ana with a bold smile. Theo nodded.

"How's ye hand?" Ana asked, pointing to Theo's wrist. Theo looked down at her hand, which was covered in a thick bandage. It looked better, and although it was still burning and throbbing, she had gotten used to the pain and didn't mind it anymore.

"It's alright: I might have to sew it up, though." Said Theo. Ana winced sympathetically. Ana crossed her arms over her chest, sat down on the deck, and leaned against the ship. Theo joined her.

"So, Theo: what's your story?"

Theo laughed.

"Jus' ask Jack." Theo said, looking over to the other side of the ship where Jack was standing. He was holding a book, pretending to read, _but mayb_e, Theo thought to herself, _it would look a _bit_ more convincing if the book wasn't upside down._ Jack lifted his eyes from the book and saw the two women looking at him. He dropped his eyes down back to the book. Theo and Ana giggled quietly.

"He likes 'ye." Said Ana.

"Eh. He likes Eliza_brat _even more. " She said quietly: Ana laughed.

"I guess you can say he likes pretty women, generally. But tis isn't the place for her." Ana said, playing with the frill on her sleeve.

"What?"

"She's not exactly a pirate. She was born into the life of the rich. Her father was governor of some fancy shipping port. The former crew of the Pearl, who thought she was the answer to their prayers and the end to a curse settled on the ship, kidnapped her. It turns out her lover boy, William Turner, was the one they wanted. All in all, the two of 'em were supposed to wed. But they were arrested for helpin' Jack escape before they could say 'I do.'" Explained Ana. Theo starred at her blankly.

"Somethin' wrong?" asked Ana. Theo shook her head.

"No…I just…didn't know Elizabeth and I shared so many similarities. So, Elizabeth is here because…?" Theo mumbled. Ana raised an eyebrow. She hunched down low and began to talk in a whisper.

"I'm not s'posed to know this, but I'm smarter than Jack thinks I am. Ye see, Jack is in a load of trouble with _the_ Davy Jones. Jack gave Will to Davy Jones to stand in his place. Will is aboard the _Dutchman_, the living Hell ship, because of Jack. Elizabeth doesn't know that, and Jack has coaxed her into one of his little games, only to git what he wants." Ana said harshly.

Theo felt her stomach drop. She actually felt somewhat guilty for being rude to Elizabeth. Jack was using her.

"Jack needs Elizabeth to find Davy Jones's heart. That compass of his…"

"Shows the way to what you want most and she wants to find her William most. Will has the heart of Davy Jones?" Theo finished for Ana.

"…Not exactly, but you get the point. Anyway, since Elizabeth wont go near Jack now, and since you were able to show Jack the way to the heart last week…"

"He's just going to use me instead. Lovely." Theo said, becoming agitated.

"When I was young I got around a lot. I've heard plenty o' tales about Davy Jones, mostly from pirates who knew their stuff. Davy Jones keeps 'is heart in a chest: the dead man's chest. He keeps the key to the chest with him at all times. The chest, though, is hidden somewhere: pro'ly on some little island that nobody has ever seen. Jack promised Elizabeth that if he had the heart, he could save Will, which _is_ true, but…it's just not right." Said Ana, her dark eyes fixed with anger.

"He's awful." Said Theo.

"Now, now, cant I git a _little_ credit?"

Theo and Ana turned around to see Jack standing over them.

"Captain." Said Ana, blushing.

Theo looked away, her heart beating fast.

"Ana Maria: go help Gibbs patch the tear in the sail." Jack said, his eyes not leaving Theo. Ana left, giving Theo an "I'm sorry" look. Once Ana was gone, Theo looked up at Jack.

"If you have something to explain, please do it now." Said Theo.

"Actually, love, I_ don't_. Ana gave you the whole truth and nothing but the truth. You can go around givin' me all the dirty looks 'ye want, but I don't really care. Because guess what, love? I'm Captain Jack Sparrow. Pirates take what they want and want what they take. I may be dishonest but it's what I am, savvy?" Jack said harshly.

Theo was shocked. She never thought Jack could be so…straightforward. **(A/N: either did I!)**

"Yes, captain." Theo said quietly: she embarrassed and sort of ashamed. She was just as dishonest and scheming as Jack but she thought of him as a bad man, who he was, but she couldn't blame him. He was just living and doing what he did best, like she was.

Jack nodded and began to walk away. He stopped and turned back to her.

"I want you in my cabin later to help me navigate. If you disagree, I will literally throw you off me ship, got it?" said Jack, pointing a finger at her.

Now _that_ was pushing it too far for Theo.

"Don't…" Theo stopped to suck in a deep breath to calm her anger. "Threaten me." Theo said before walking off.

"Is that a yes?" Jack called after her.

"YES, CAP'N!" Theo shouted back. She walked over to Ana who was bent over a torn sail, sewing away. Ana gave Theo a needle and the two began to work.

"He acts like a two year old. Just when he does something good he goes and does somethin' _stupid_!" Theo mumbled angrily.

"I know, I know…" chorused Ana.

**(Later.)**

Theo stood over Jack's beautiful maps, trying to work in the dimly light room. Jack watched her carefully as she traced her fingers over the thin papers, her dark eyes wide.

"Well, we'll be sailing in this direction…" Theo said, dragging her finger along the map "until we come to this island. And _that, _Captain Jack Sparrow, is where your bloody heart is." Said Theo. She put the compass down, which she had been holding tightly in her palm for about an hour now. Jack sighed with relief and plopped down into a chair.

"But if you want your crew to survive,you'll be needing to make port for supplies." Theo said, looking back down at the map. Jack sighed and covered his face with his hands.

"What's the closet one?" he asked, his voice being slightly muffled by the hand over his mouth.

"You have about a weeks left of supplies, and it'll take about another week and a half to get to the island. Your best bet is Darlete, which is about a two day sail from here if we make haste today and through the night." Theo said while studying the map. Jack moved the hand from his face.

"Didn't you…"

"Yes, I escaped there for a while. It's much like Tortuga, except with more whores and more trouble." Theo said bitterly. Jack's face was aglow.

"To Darlete it is!" announced Jack proudly. Theo let out a laugh and put the compass down on the table. Jack stood and rolled up the maps carefully.

"How's that hand of yours?" Jack asked as he tucked the maps into small cubbies in the wall. He walked back over to Theo and took her hand. He happened to touch her skin where it was sliced open raw under the bandage.

"ARGH!" she cried, pulling back her hand. She clutched it in pain and bit her lip.

"Whoops." Said Jack.

"It's…" Theo sucked in a breath and held back a tear "…alright." Theo sighed and looked down at her hand, which was throbbing. She took off the bandage to get a peek at her hand for the first time since a week ago. She gasped. The swelling _around_ the cut went down: but the cut itself was red, black, and swollen.

Jack clucked his tongue.

"Do you want me to sew it?" Jack asked. Theo looked up at him, then back down at her hand, then back at Jack. She snorted.

"Do you honestly think I'd say yes?" asked Theo.

"I've done it before! To Gibbs _and_ myself." Jack boasted proudly. Theo sighed.

"Eh…I don't really know…if you do something wrong I doubt I'll ever forgive you." She said warningly. Jack nodded, then grinned. He waltzed over to a broken glass cabinet. He took out two bottles of rum, a bottle of water, a shredded cloth, a needle, and thread. He motioned for Theo to sit on his bed. She obeyed. She nervously bounced on the comfortable mattress. Jack pulled over a chair with his free hand and sat in front of Theo.

"Ready?" he asked as he threaded the needle. Theo nodded slowly. First Jack took a bottle of rum: and drank it. Theo kicked his knee.

"Ye' dumb twat!** A/N: Dane Cook moment! Could resist (:** I don't want you drinking before you sew up my hand!" she yelled. Jack rolled his eyes and carefully put down the bottle of his beloved rum.

Jack carefully took her hand and washed it with water first. He was very gentle but kept a strong grip. Theo felt chills run up her spine as he ran the wet cloth over her hand. She could smell _his_ smell: rum, sweat, and a spicy scent. Mixed together it didn't smell all to lovely, but it was Jack.

"You alright?" Jack asked, keeping his eyes on Theo's hand.

"Yes." She whispered.

Then came the rum. Jack held her wrist tightly now. He then dropped some rum on her hand. Theo felt huge tears well into her eyes as an unbearable sting shoot through her hand. She curled her toes and clutched the mattress with her free hand. When the sting faded, she released her hand, and saw a sweat stain in the shape of her hand on Jack's blankets.

"That'll keep it clean up and numb it a bit." Jack said as he put the rum down. He then looked up at Theo.

"This a deep cut, kiddo, meaning it'll take me a while and it'll hurt like hell. Are ye sure your ready for this? I'm telling ya this'll hurt more than any damned tattoo." Jack said as he picked up the needle. Theo nodded nervously.

But before Jack put the needle into her hand, he stood and walked back over to the broken cabinet. He took out a very, very small vile of a clear liquid. He dabbed a bit of the liquid onto a piece of cloth. He walked back over to Theo, sat down in front of her and gave her a funny look. Theo raised her eyebrows, and before she could do anything, Jack pounced. He managed to get her onto the bed, with his legs over her sides.

"Sorry bout this, love." He said before putting the cloth over her mouth and nose. Theo screamed, but only for a few seconds. Then everything became a blur of swirling colors, and then, everything was dark.

**&&&&&&**

Theo opened her eyes. She took in a deep breath and immediately smelled Jack. Her eyes became wide as she sat up. She was in Jack's bed. Under Jack's covers. In Jack's room.

Oh, god…

She then looked down at her hand. It was wrapped in a clean, new cloth, and the usual sting wasn't as bad as it usually was. Actually, it felt better. A lot better.

Jack, who came out of nowhere, sat on the edge of the bed.

"How'd you feel?" he asked with a small smile.

"You…knocked me out." She drawled slowly. She was still dizzy.

"Yes…it actually worked very well. Sorry bout throwin' ye onto the bed and all that, but I doubted you'd allow me to knock you out in the first place." Jack said, looking down at her hand.

"You really are something." Theo said, shaking her head. Jack looked up at her.

"You're not mad at me?" he asked.

"No; well, yes. But it was a nice thing to do… in a strange, twisted sort of way." Theo said slowly. Jack seemed to like that answer.

**(Later, at night.)**

After Theo awoke from her unconsciousness she went back to work for the rest of the day. Her day went smoothly and her hand felt better already.

At about two in the morning, Jack was peacefully sleeping in his cabin. He didn't hear it, but someone entered the room. The person lifted their boot and kicked him. Jack had a habit of sleeping close to the edge of the bed, so once the hard leather boot hit his back he flopped off the bed. He moaned and surfaced from the floor, rubbing his head. There, on the other side of the bed, stood Theo.

"I was told 'tis your watch now." Said Theo. Jack studied her slowly. She looked different. She was practically glowing with beauty. Her black hair was cleaned and brushed out beautifully. Her skin was scrubbed clean and looked flawless. Her eyes were lined with fresh, dark kohl, and her lips were painted a dark, smooth red.

"Uh, yes." Jack said stupidly. Theo stood their, studying him. Jack pretended to look for his boot but was really paying close attention to Theo's eyes that were practically eating at his body. He quickly shoved on his boots and turned to Theo. She was standing right in front of him. She took a step closer. She grinned and pulled Jack closer to her.

Theo's lips met his. He closed his eyes and let his mouth succumb to hers as her tongue danced wildly in his mouth. His strong hands roamed over her body, picking at the buttons of her shirt and the tie of her pants, her arms ripping off his shirt as she stepped out of her boots with her pants at the ankles…

"Captain…caaaptain…"

Jack's eyes shot open as he felt himself fall off the bed. He groaned and shook his head. When he looked up he saw that strange crewmember with a huge fake eye starring down at him.

" It's your turn for watch, cap'n." He grumbled before leaving the room. The door slammed behind him. Jack stood there for a minute in dumb shock. He shook his head and moaned.

"Stupid, rotten dream…" He mumbled angrily.

**(Somewhere, not so far away…)**

Arthurus was pacing across the floor of his cabin with his hands behind his back. His face was contoured in a deep frown, his eyes focusing on the floor. He stopped walking a let out a frustrated sigh. Just when he was about to let his nerves take over, he felt a cold, gentle breeze blow over his body. He shivered and felt goose bumps form on his arms.

_She_ was near.

A soft song was now audible to Arthurus' ears. He felt his heart melt and his breath come out slowly. His eyes closed as the soft notes filled his ears. It was a song so beautiful it could bring a man to tears. Then Arthurus remembered something, and he forced his eyes open and tried to block the song from entering his head.

"Stop, stop it!" he yelled, covering his ears. The singing stopped. The door opened.

"I told you to never pull any of that enchantment on me. Well…" Arthurus grumbled, turning to the door. "Did it work?"

A woman, so beautiful it was absolutely painful to look at her, stepped into the room. She wore a dress of a rich blue and gold. Her long hair was white blond, reaching to her lower back. It poured over her strong shoulders in a wave of messy curls. Her skin was shockingly pale. Her eyes were the actual color of the Caribbean oceans.

"Yes and must I say, it was a pleasure to watch." She said, in a voice so breathy it was barely a whisper.

Arthurus grinned and settled into a chair. The woman was a Siren; one of the most gifted Siren's Arthurus had ever met. Arthurus could never fully look at her in eyes, for he feared that even he might succumb to her overwhelming beauty; _and_ her song.

The Siren smiled at Arthurus.

"I sent Jack a Dream of her. A very well done spell, I must say." The Siren whispered. Arthurus looked at her with a devious half smile.

"Thank you, m'dear. Your business for tonight is done." Arthurus said, getting up from his chair.

"Might I ask when your father will be joining us?" The Siren asked, running a hand through her hair. Arthurus looked out his cabin window, sighing heavily.

"Soon; very soon."

"Sooner than you thought, m'boy."

The Siren whipped around and gasped. Arthurus didn't even flinch. He slowly turned and saw his father, leaning against the cabin door, his cold eyes staring straight at his son.

"Good to see you, father." Arthurus said with a small smile. The Siren glanced at Arthurus nervously, her eyes wide. She was used to magic; but had never been face to face with the man who even sea-demons like her feared. Arthurus gave her a reassuring smile and looked back at his father.

"This is Mersephia, one of the most gifted Siren's I've ever come across." Said Arthurus. Davy Jones nodded politely to her. She nodded back, smiling slightly.

"I understand tha' you have some sort o' plan afoot?" Jones asked his son. Arthurus nodded, walking over to his father. Mersephia sat in a chair, watching the two of them.

"Yes father, and you'll be happy to know it actually concerns that Jack Sparrow you have such a loathing for." Arthurus said, knowing his words were enticing to his father's ears. Jones's eyes widened and his beard of tentacles shook.

"Sparrow?" Jones asked coldly.

"Yes; I have a little she-devil who escaped from my clutches whom I'd like to settle a score with once and for all. She escaped with Sparrow back in Tortuga: but not without putting up a fight…" Arthurus said, lifting his mangled hand. Jones nodded slowly.

"I plan to corner her in Darlete: and I will make no mistake to kill her." Arthurus said slowly, liking the way it sounded. His insides twisted with pleasure just mentioning it.

"While I do my deed, I was thinking maybe I could help you. Stop Sparrow from taking that chest of yours, ever since his little friend took the key…"

"How'd you know about the chest and the key?" Jones snapped. His eyes narrowed and his beard danced with anger. Arthurus let out an impatient sigh and motioned to Mersephia, who sat daintily in her chair. Jones eyed her.

"Sirens usually don't do business without pay, m'lady." Jones said to Mersephia. She grinned, revealing a mouth brimmed with gleaming white fangs.

"Your son gives me two men every day: two men to pull into the seas and devour their souls. In exchange I do his biddings: spells and spying. It is, sir, a _pleasure _working with your son." Mersephia drawled. Jones chuckled darkly.

"Ah, interesting. So explain to me why my presence was requested here tonight." Jones said to his son. Arthurus nodded and began to explain his plan. After he finished, Jones smiled and shook his head.

"Why do ye want this girl so much? And how do ye know Sparrow trusts 'er enough to help him?" asked Jones. Arthurus nodded to Mersephia. She stood and walked over to the men.

"I sent Sparrow a Dream, the first of more to come. I'll make sure he will have no reason _not_ to trust her. His desires for her are growing and he will soon have no doubt in his mind that he wants her, and only her. His trust will be so deep he will have no worries." Mersephia explained.

"I must say…it does sound interesting. Although there is room for flaws…"

"But how else can you make sure you get your heart and not Sparrow? Just think what he could do with it…"

"I know that, Arthurus! But if you get too wrapped up in catching ye' little hussy, how can I be sure ye' wont leave me?" Jones demanded.

"I would never abandon you father." Arthurus said solemnly. A small smile crept across his lips.

"Especially when it means killing the girl who killed my brother." Arthurus said. He knew very well how much a spark this would set off inside his father. His beard shook and his eyes blazed. He clutched his fists and inhaled sharply.

"It's _that_ girl?" Jones asked coldly. Arthurus nodded. Jones glared at his son. After a minute he sighed.

"Alright." Jones said quietly. Arthurus grinned and nodded. And just like that, Jones disappeared into thin air. Mersephia let out a sigh and turned to Arthurus.

"I'll be leaving for tonight: I'll return tomorrow." She said with a smile. She began to walk across the cabin. Arthurus watched her carefully. She began to sing softly, letting out the most beautiful sound known to a man's ears. Arthurus dug his nails into his palms to stop himself from following her. She began to disappear until she was gone. Arthurus was left alone in his cabin. He settled down into his chair, grinning widely.

It was wonderful to have all of the pieces of the game in place; but the sweetest award for Arthurus was that everything was now in his favor.


End file.
